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

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2024.10.09Akira Murayama

A story of resistance against out-of-control power

As the story begins, Lee, a veteran photojournalist played by Kirsten Dunst, is questioning the work she has devoted herself to. Lee says that she had been "trying to warn people" by going into the midst of battlefields and conflicts and pointing her camera at tragic realities, even though it meant she would endure trauma. Through her photographs, she was meant to present a "vision of a future that should not end up like this," but when a civil war breaks out in the United States, Lee is overcome with a sense of helplessness.

In contrast, 23-year-old budding photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) doesn't yet have the career drive to do so, but the excitement of taking risky photographs is what makes her increasingly daring and reckless.

As the mental succession from the exhausted Lee to Jesse progresses, in the climax, Lee seems to have regained his strength and leads everyone to the White House. Why was Lee able to motivate himself at the very last moment? What was his driving force in chasing after the president who had already fallen to the bottom?

The answer is not clearly depicted, and just as director Garland hopes that this film will generate debate, some things will become clear through each viewer's own interpretation and dialogue. However, there is no doubt that Lee was concerned about the collapse of his country, and once the fundamental principles of the nation are lost, it is almost impossible to restore it. Garland, who presented this irreversibility, must have intended to sound a warning to the world, just like Lee. The narrative style of "Civil War" is sometimes disrespectfully dry, but I strongly feel that this film is also a classic "story of resistance."

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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