British author, screenwriter, and director, Alex Garland is a name that may not be as popular in mainstream media, but has gained a prominent cult-following with his various projects. From the Oscar nominated movie, Ex-Machina (2014), to films like 28 Days Later (2002) and Sunshine (2007) starring Cillian Murphy, Garland has gradually added to his filmography. After 2022’s British folk-horror Men, the director recently premiered his latest movie, Civil War at SXSW, to fairly positive reviews.
Civil War will be released in theatres by A24 in the US and Entertainment Film in the UK on April. With some calling it Garland’s best work so far, the movie has a 77 “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. The director had previously said that Civil War might be the last film he directs, and if it is so, then what a way to end a chapter.
Alex Garland Made Civil War as a Companion to Men
Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman, the 2024 movie shows the horrors of a civil war in the modern world. In a not so distant future, the movie glimpses at a dystopian America, ravaged by military conflicts. And in the heat of it all is a team of journalists, who are witnesses to the atrocities happening all around. The movie has gotten some rave reviews so far, with Garland being praised for his work.
Men, on the other hand, got pretty favorable reviews initially, but was also criticized for its narrative and the portrayal of “toxic masculinity.” But Garland knew that making a movie like that would spark conversations that many are not comfortable with.
“I know when I put something out there if it’s going to p— a bunch of people off. The film I’m making now is also going to wind some people up.” (via The Telegraph)
Garland once called Civil War a “companion piece to Men in some ways,” the 2022 movie starring Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear. With a similar tonality, both movies give the audience food for thought on how the society is progressing towards something dark and gloomy. While Civil War provides a more broadened picture, Men is more limited in its storyline, focusing on a single person instead of a whole country, like the former.
Alex Garland’s Civil War is Divisive in The Best Way Possible
The director of the movie is not trying to play it safe with his latest project. Civil War, though set in a dystopian future, is his way to start a conversation about a society that is pretty similar to ours, and failing. The movie does not take sides but makes the audience think and find their own place in the story. In its first screening at SXSW in Austin, Alex Garland said: “The film is intended to be a conversation, so it doesn’t assert too much.”
Kirsten Dunst gives one of the best performances of her career, and brings the character of a desensitized human to life. But it is not just her – from the cast to the crew, the film tries its best to give the audience a visual treat that also tells a story that will make you pause and think.
Civil War will be in theatres on April 12, 2024.
