As the United States gears up for election year, A24’s political horror film Civil War depicts a collapsed State within the USA and how different states form factions and fight each other. The Alex Garland directorial has been making headlines due to its depiction of unlikely alliances, particularly that of Texas and California, which have long been considered to be of opposing values.
Ahead of its premiere at the SXSW, Civil War director Garland mentioned in a panel on how the film makes it obvious why the two opposing states decided to form a coalition to fight in the civil war depicted in the film. He also mentioned that he did not want to spoonfeed the audience on why the states joined hands.
What Is A24’s Civil War About?
British filmmaker Alex Garland reportedly wrote the film Civil War four years ago when the last Presidential elections occurred. A controversial event, that culminated in the US Capitol raid, Garland mentioned that his intention with the film was to spark a conversation about political divisiveness and chose to set it in the USA due to its susceptibility to an event that is depicted in the film (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The film is set in the near future where a three-time President’s authoritarian regime has broken out into civil war among the newly divided states. Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons star in the lead role. The film’s release timing during the election year, which promises a rematch between 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and Donald Trump, has sparked conversations.
Alex Garland mentioned in an interview with THR in a panel at the SXSW that the film could have been set anywhere but the USA’s importance in the world is what made him establish the plot of events in America. He said,
“In the case of America, there’s an extra danger given its power and importance in the world. America has an internal concept of its exceptionalism that means it feels it’s immune to some kinds of problems. One of the things history shows us is that nobody is immune. Nobody is exceptional. And if we don’t apply rationality and decency and thoughtfulness to these problems, in any place, it can get out of control.”
The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival on March 14 and received positive responses for its harrowing depiction of an impending civil war. The film is set to release in cinemas on April 12.
Alex Garland Speaks About The Texas-California Coalition In Civil War
When the trailer of the A24 film Civil War was released, many were quick to notice that in the newly divided USA, the dystopian film is set in, the states of Texas and California had formed a coalition. This surprised many fans as the states are known for their opposing political leanings and values. While Texas is known for its conservative ideology, California is famously liberal in its leanings.
While the trailers did not reveal the reasoning behind it, Alex Garland mentioned at the SXSW Film Festival that the film makes it clear why the two opposite states had joined hands. A representative of Screenrant reported his answer,
“There is a fascist president who smashed the Constitution and attacked [American] citizens. And that is a very clear, answered statement. If you want to think about why Texas and California might be allied, and putting aside their political differences, the answer would be implicit in that. So I think answers are there but you have to step to it and not expect to be spoon-fed these things. It makes assumptions about the audience.”
The polar opposite nature of both states has made many fans scratch their heads about what drove them to join hands. Alex Garland seems to have made it clear that the film will have all the answers to these questions and that audiences need to be more eagle-eyed in this regard.
