For anybody born in the 20th century or later in the United States, the idea of a civil war was always one that existed either in the history books or in countries in other parts of the world. But the divisive politics that have taken hold of the country in recent years have made the concept, if not inevitable, then at least less abstract.

Writer/director Alex Garland has given voice to many people’s worst fears with his new film, Civil War. Set in an undetermined point in the near future, the film follows four journalists – photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst), reporter Joel (Wagner Moura), budding photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), and veteran reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) – as they travel around various war-torn sections on the East Coast of the U.S.

Lee and Joel are trying to get to Washington, D.C. ahead of the so-called Western Forces – the break-off group comprised of a variety of aligned states – to try to get an interview with the President (Nick Offerman) before he’s inevitably deposed. Jessie and Sammy have come along for the ride for reasons of their own, knowing that the group’s journey will be far from smooth sailing.

The way the film is staged by Garland, people from both sides of the aisle will likely find something to agree with in the film. He throws the audience into the middle of the story with no explanation as to how the war started, exactly who is fighting whom, or anything else that would orient the viewer. In a way, trying to understand the details of the war and which states are aligned with which other states is almost beside the point, as the film is almost always seen from the viewpoint of the journalists, not those fighting it.

However, at times he seems to be actively trying to disorient the audience, as well. What little is learned about the war comes from news reports and seemingly throwaway lines, like the fact that Texas and California are part of the breakaway Western Forces. In the real world, such an alliance makes little political or geographical sense; the film never goes into the logistics of the warring parties, so it’s up to individual viewers on how deeply they want to analyze things.

The film contains a variety of harrowing battle scenes, with the journalists doing their best to record everything happening for their outlets and the history books. Garland does a great job at putting viewers in the shoes of the four leads as they have varying degrees of reaction to the carnage. The one thing that seems to be paramount is the importance of continuing to do their jobs no matter what, even when the war impacts them personally.

Although you could clearly read the film as a warning about what could happen if the United States continues along the divided path it seems to be on, it ultimately feels like one that’s stressing the importance of a free press more than anything else. At multiple points, the characters use their position as members of the press to get access to areas no one else could, and the photos taken by Lee and Jessie are occasionally isolated so as to show their value to the world at large.

Dunst has always been a good actor, but she seems to have reached a new level in recent years, and she’s at her best in this film, lending her character a gravitas that makes her the unquestioned leader. Spaeny follows up her great performance in Priscilla with another compelling arc of an innocent who becomes hardened. Moura and Henderson make for solid supporting actors, and Jesse Plemons shows up for a very memorable cameo.

There will be lots of think pieces about what Garland is saying about the state of America and whether Civil War is ultimately more of a liberal or conservative text. But from a purely filmmaking perspective, it’s a gripping story with bold action sequences, a definite step up from a director who’s already made a handful of intriguing films.

---

Civil War opens in theaters on April 12.