Civil War (15)
Directed by Alex Garland

BRITISH writer-director Alex Garland returns with a powerful, harrowing and audacious examination of war, and the vital role of journalists within it, set in the near future in a divided US in the midst of a civil conflict. This will sucker punch you. 
 
It isn’t clear what has caused the war but the Western Forces of California and Texas are fighting to bring down the American President (Nick Offerman) who is serving a third term in office, has disbanded the FBI and authorised air strikes on US citizens. These states are more worried about this dictatorial leader than their mutual animosity and have put aside their political differences to fight together. 
 
Shot like a documentary, it is gritty, graphically violent and pulls no punches in its depiction of war as it highlights the importance of the press in witnessing and reporting on the realities of a conflict. It brought to mind Mstyslav Chernov’s Oscar winning “20 Days in Mariupol” which was an extremely tough watch. 
 
Civil War follows veteran photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleague reporter Joel (Wagner Moura) as they drive from New York to Washington DC to interview the president. They give a lift to veteran journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), the voice of reason, and wannabe war photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) whose hero and mentor is Lee. 
 
Their road trip is treacherous and terrifying as they cross paths with gun-toting, racist and sexist extremists along the way. Being press isn’t enough to protect them as an encounter with a MAGA armed militia soldier proves, played chillingly by Jesse Plemons, Dunst’s husband, wearing red plastic sunglasses. It is one of the most disturbing scenes in the film. 
 
Garland delivers an intense and hair-raising action-packed drama which is driven by Dunst’s career-defining performance and Spaeny’s (Priscilla) cracking portrayal. It isn’t an anti-Trump film so much as an anti-war film about division and polarisation which could have been set anywhere in the world. 

It feels all the more shocking because it unfolds in the US. 
 
This is a thought-provoking cautionary tale, with the presidential election just seven months away and Donald Trump very much in the running. Let’s pray life doesn’t imitate art. 

This is a must see. 

Out in cinemas tomorrow.