A divided America. A “pretty huge civil war.” A “three-term president.” Militias fighting in the suburbs. Air strikes in New York City. A battered Washington, D.C. A breached White House. A camo-clad and dead-eyed Jesse Plemons asking our group of protagonists, “What kind of American are you?”
No, the trailers for Alex Garland’s upcoming feature, “Civil War,” aren’t pulling any punches. But if those first looks and early SXSW reviews of the latest from the “Annihilation” and “Ex Machina” filmmaker have you thinking the film isn’t for you, not during these current times, let star Kirsten Dunst add some of her trademark common sense to the equation.
During a recent interview with the star (and there will be more to come from that chat on IndieWire later this week), I mentioned that I’ve heard from many people who have seen trailers for the film that they’re feeling a general sense of “I don’t need to see that right now, based on what’s going on in the actual world.” Dunst was ready.
“See, that’s [the] total opposite of the point of the movie to me,” Dunst told IndieWire. “It’s like, you should see this movie. It’s actually not what you think it is. It’s about how important journalism is. I think that once the movie comes out, people will realize that it’s not taking a stance in any political direction.”
In the film, Dunst plays veteran war photographer Lee, who has long covered conflicts around the world, and is now in the midst of doing just that — in America. When the film opens, the country has already been torn apart by various factions, as the “Western Forces” of Texas and California and the “Florida Alliance” are closing in on Washington, D.C., where an addled, fascist-leaning president (Nick Offerman) is struggling to hold things together.
As the film unfolds, Lee, along with journalist pal Joel (Wagner Moura), long-time mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and plucky would-be photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), make their way from New York City to D.C., encountering all sorts of terror along the way. But anyone expecting hard and fast answers as to how this movie America got to this point will need to draw their own conclusions, as Garland refuses to mete out past details, instead leaning on the immediate horror of the situation.
“I read the script, and I was gripped, and also I knew Alex Garland was directing, and I had been a fan of his since ‘Ex Machina.’ He just really does his own thing, which I always am attracted to with somebody I’m working with, whether it’s an actor or director,” she said. “I really, really wanted to be in this film and I had never read anything like it before.”
Dunst was also attracted to the character of Lee, a hardened journalist who serves as our anchor throughout the film. “I love that it was just about this journalist,” Dunst said. “There’s no word of ‘female’ in the script, ‘female journalists.’ You know what I mean? It was a very direct, a very gripping read. I was breathing heavily. It was like watching the movie. It was truly a page-turner.”
When I noted that I enjoyed it as both “a popcorn action movie” and something that also “makes you think, too,” Dunst jumped in excitedly: “Exactly! Yes, that’s exactly what Alex did. You said it better than me.”
She added, “It is a big blockbuster movie, but it also is filled with humanity and it really focuses on the journalists,” she said. “It’s not just an action-packed film. You’re on the edge of your seat, but it’s with meaning and purpose.”
An A24 release, “Civil War” will be in theaters on Friday, April 12.
