"Civil War" A story of resistance against out-of-control power

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2024.10.09Akira Murayama

"Civil War" Synopsis

America has seen 19 states secede from the federal government. A civil war has broken out between the government forces and the "Western Powers," an alliance of Texas and California, with violent armed clashes unfolding across the country. "My fellow Americans, we are approaching a historic victory," the authoritarian president, now in his third term, makes a powerful appeal in a television address, but the fall of Washington DC is imminent. Four journalists who have been staying in New York head to the White House to interview the president, who has not been interviewed once in 14 months. But as they travel along the battlefield, they are engulfed in the terror and madness of the civil war.

The original title of the movie "Civil War" is "CIVIL WAR". The literal translation is "civil war", but if you write "THE CIVIL WAR", it refers to the American Civil War that broke out in 1861. However, this film does not depict the American Civil War or any civil wars that have occurred in the past. It is a purely fictional civil war set in America in the near future. However, the current state of the world, where the word "division" is spoken of as something familiar, is reflected as if woven between the lines, and the reality that is so real that it is almost indistinguishable is depressing.

British director Alex Garland chose America as the setting for the film because it is the most sensational and vivid country for a case study that could happen today. However, he keeps the background explanation to a minimum, and by taking an approach that depicts the events that occur during the civil war in a concrete and realistic manner, it is designed to be likened not only to America but also to various countries and situations.

It seems like a very American thing to see citizens taking up guns and becoming militias, and armed groups springing up everywhere. But the division of politics and values, the rampant prejudice and discrimination that run rampant in a depleted society, and the weakening of the media are just caricatures of the reality of the world around us, amplified like an amplifier.

"Civil War" Trailer

Index

Garland depicts the "national crisis"

But can the superpower America really fall apart so easily? As the film begins, the US government is almost dead. The president is holed up in the White House and hasn't been interviewed for 14 months, except for a few empty propaganda videos. The states are divided into factions, and the "Western Forces," made up of California and Texas, are marching on the capital, Washington DC. Washington DC is on the verge of falling, and the presidential government is on the verge of being toppled.

Director Garland cleverly avoids simplification by coloring which forces are right and which forces are wrong. Nevertheless, the danger of the president (who is simply called "the president" in the film) reminiscent of Donald Trump is strongly felt. Although he does not talk about the direct cause of the civil war, if you follow the lines in the film about the president, you can see how Garland perceives the "national crisis."

Here are some facts mentioned in the story.

1) The president is serving his third term.

2) The President dismantled the FBI.

3) The President ordered airstrikes against American civilians.

"A third term" refers to the forcible extension of the term of office of the American president, despite the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution limiting the term of office to "two terms of four years each."

The "dissolution of the FBI" is highly likely to have been done by the president to cover up his own illegal activities, as the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) also has jurisdiction over government crimes. The FBI is also an organization responsible for crimes that span multiple states. With the FBI dissolved, it can be said that the country is in a state of chaos with judicial investigations not reaching the entire country.

In other words, in the United States in the play, the Constitution, which is the core of the country, has been violated, the institutions that monitor the government's rampage have been closed, and it is no longer possible to maintain public order. The president is even prepared to launch "military attacks on civilians" to suppress resistance forces. The state has abandoned the fundamental principle of protecting its people. Putting aside the debate over the justification for war and civil war, it is clear that this presidential administration is in a terminal state.

What is the 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution that limits the term of office of the president?

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