“Civil War”, the controversial film about a United States in ruins: we talk to the protagonists

It is one of those films that stirs up discussion and generates controversy. For cinematographic reasons, of course, but also social and political reasons. In an election year for the United States, and of ideological polarization and democratic instability throughout the world, “Civil War” comes to speculate precisely what its title describes: a stark civil war in a United States. not so far in the future: that is, a dystopia set right here, just around the corner.

Directed by the British Alex Garland – the man responsible for films such as “Ex Machina”, “Annihilation” and “Men” – the film from the A24 studio poses Uncle Sam’s land completely divided: The president has been besieged, Texas and California have formed a coalition on the verge of seizing power by force, and hundreds of cities are marked by extreme chaos and violence.

“Civil war” It is told from the point of view of four journalists: Lee, Joel, Jessie and Sammy, played respectively by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaen and Stephen McKinley Henderson. The choice of this perspective is not accidental, as it allows the director to have a sensitive and wild posture at the same time, that of a group of reporters in search of the unusual event and the impact image: bombings, destruction, scattered corpses and more disasters.

Far from considering it a war story, Garland has described his film as anti-war. For this, it has some clear references, such as the 1985 Soviet film “Come and See” or the documentary “Under the Wire” (2018), which the filmmaker made the cast of “Civil War” watch before filming began.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

The young Cailee Spaeny (Missouri, 1998) is in charge of playing Jessie, an amateur photojournalist. who joins a group of more experienced journalists. Together they undertake a trip to Washington DC to, supposedly, interview the president of the United States, who will receive them exclusively.

Jessie admires Lee Smith, a renowned photographer played by Kirsten Dunst. Curiously, a student-teacher relationship that finds a parallel in the bond between Spaeny and Dunst. “It was very easy for me to do these scenes of admiration with Kirsten,” says Spaeny in conversation with Trade–. Jessie views Lee in a similar way to the way I view Kirsten’s career.a rare trajectory to find in Hollywood, going through different genres, working with different directors.”

As an additional detail, it should be remembered that both have been protagonists of films directed by Sofia Coppola: Spaeny in the recent “Priscilla” and Dunst in “Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette.” “It has been great to share this film with her. From the first second we spoke there was a great understanding,” adds the 25-year-old actress.

This is Spaeny’s second time performing for Garland. In 2020 he did it in the miniseries “Devs”, where McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman and Sonoya Mizuno (all present in “Civil War”) also worked. “Alex was the first director who gave me a character that left my comfort zone. It is a dream to be able to work with someone you admire, and also feel like you are reunited with your family again,” he says.

In addition, the film includes still, black and white photos captured by Jessie’s character. “All the photos you see in the film were taken by me –says Spaeny–. Since I accepted the character, I asked Alex what camera he used to use when he was my age, and he recommended that Nikon FM2 that you see in the movie. So I learned to photograph with tape, to compose my frames, even to develop my own photos.”

JOURNALIST

Brazilian Wagner Moura (Bahía, 1976) plays Joel, a casual reporter who has the mission of getting an interview with the American president. Also in dialogue with Tradethe remembered actor from “Tropa de elite” and “Narcos” said that I had already met Garland, precisely in the pre-production stage of “Devs”.

“That time we had lunch together, he proposed that I be part of the series, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for me. That’s why he made me very happy that he contacted me again to participate in ‘Guerra Civil’. “Alex is one of the brightest people I have ever worked with,” says the 47-year-old interpreter.

There is a particular sequence in “Civil War” – one of the most intense and shocking in the film – in which the protagonists are confronted by an ultranationalist military man. Without the need to offer ‘spoilers’, we asked Moura how he experienced this scene, taking into account his Brazilian nationality, as a migrant in the US.

“That is a scene that synthesizes the polarization that the film addresses, with feelings of xenophobia, racism and anti-immigration. For me, as a Brazilian, it was very difficult to face that. Because it’s something I’ve always thought about: how would I react if someone in the US said to me or did something like what they do to my character? The answer is that I don’t know what my reaction would be. It is a situation of enormous anxiety,” explains Moura.

Moura says he agrees with describing “Civil War” as an anti-war film, in the sense that its images do not romanticize, glorify or glamorize violence. “For me it is a terrifying movie,” warns the actor. “Any person from Peru or Brazil knows that the polarization that exists in the world is probably the biggest threat against democracy.”

“And I think it’s especially terrifying for the American audience –he adds–. Being accustomed to seeing these images in the Middle East, Africa or Latin America, it can generate a kind of cognitive dissonance to see that they now occur in Washington DC. That is why it is so terrifying for them.”