Civil War (15)

Contemporary political divisions and paranoia add an uneasy edge to filmmaker Alex Garland’s chilling nightmare of America’s future.

Kirsten Dunst portrays Lee, a seasoned war photographer embarking from New York to Washington, D.C. amid a tumultuous clash between federal forces and revolutionary groups. The Western Forces and the Florida Alliance vie for control, targeting the President. Lee, accompanied by Joel, a thrill-seeking reporter, Sammy, a seasoned journalist, and Jesse, an aspiring photographer, navigates a perilous America, where even refuelling invites danger. Amidst the chaos, Lee and Joel mentor Jesse in the brutal realities of their profession, where capturing the perfect shot outweighs saving lives in a country now ravaged by conflict.

Garland, best known for science fiction films Ex Machina and Annihilation, has delivered his most realistic film to date. Everything that occurs in Civil War could potentially happen. This is urban warfare, devoid of fun and flare. We’re not meant to cheer the violence on here. We’re meant to be horrified and we’re meant to be wary.

It makes for a finely crafted, intense thriller that holds back from overt political commentary, subtly suggesting the current crying uncertainties about the stability of the Land of the Free.