What Is the Civil War in Alex Garland’s Civil War Movie?

If you don’t want spoilers, but you do want answers, let us explain. Photo: A24

Civil War isn’t even out yet, but Alex Garland’s new movie has already triggered some light internet controversy, with a handful of people questioning whether now is the right time to invoke the idea of a violent nationwide conflict. The actual film, which premiered Thursday night at SXSW before opening in theaters on April 12, anticipates those concerns. It’s an anti-war screed that’s less about the war itself than the psychological toll such strife takes.

It’s also a road movie. Civil War follows four journalists — two photographers (Kirsten Dunst and Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny) and two reporters (Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson) — making the intrepid drive from New York City to Washington, D.C., where they hope to question an authoritarian president (Nick Offerman) who treats members of the media as enemy combatants. The pit stops they make along the way expose the group to gun-toting goons who’d be all too happy to execute them for saying the wrong thing. As the hardened quartet travels, the film zeroes in on war’s numbing effect. They encounter Americans who have alternatively militarized their entire lives or turned a blind eye to the situation entirely.

Early reviews are largely positive, but if you’re still wondering what exactly Civil War is and whether it’s worth the pre-release skepticism, here’s some spoiler-free intel.

Is Civil War about a civil war?

What you see in the movie’s trailers is pretty much all the context Garland’s script offers. Texas and California, the so-called Western Forces, have both seceded from the union, protesting a third-term POTUS who has disbanded the FBI, weaponized the police, and authorized airstrikes across the country. That’s right, things are so bad that Texas and California finally agree on something. Florida, too! The United States has descended into disarray — you’re either with the government or you’re against it, and there could be someone lurking nearby to kill you based on that position. But don’t expect Dunkirk-level battles here; this is a character study with a handful of explosive set pieces. Ultimately, if you’re in the mood for an uplifting movie in 2024, stick to Kung Fu Panda 4.

What year is all this happening?

The movie doesn’t specify. It’s meant to be the near future, but there’s no timeline explaining how this lawless president extended his administration or what led to violence.

So it’s a left-versus-right thing, huh?

This isn’t The Hunt, if that’s what you’re thinking. The president’s political party is never clarified, and there’s no mention of Republicans and Democrats. That ambiguity might puzzle some audiences expecting more backstory, but it works: By avoiding clichéd left-versus-right ideologies, Garland makes the conflict feel more human, like a populace that has simply run its course and spun out of control. There’s nothing more chilling than Jesse Plemons asking “What kind of American are you?� while holding an assault rifle.

But does it hit too close to home?

On Reddit and X, people who have not actually seen the movie are debating whether a realistic depiction of modern-day civil war is irresponsible given the unrelenting polarization of our current moment. One Reddit user worries it “might be interpreted as a role model to MAGA groups if not portrayed carefully.� Someone else pointed out that such thinking sounds similar to the false alarm surrounding Joker, when a few prophets of doom decided the comic-book movie was sure to spark angry men’s-rights rallies. (It didn’t.)

Whether or not the average moviegoer will want to experience a fictional, arguably prescient home-front war is another question (my next one, actually), but in general: Garland sees partisanship as beside his point, and seemingly intends for anyone to project anything they want onto the conflict. Whether it hits too close to home is up to you.

What is the most controversial aspect of the film then?

The sheer realism of it all, particularly as it relates to a tyrannical government that has toppled the Constitution. In 2022, Donald Trump suggested that the “termination� of the Constitution would be justified if it meant overturning the 2020 election results. By not drawing a firmer parallel to a GOP that supports his law-busting platform, some might accuse Civil War of pulling punches.

Do Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons share a scene?

The most intense scene, actually. Plemons’s role is small. Without giving much away, he’s a militant who terrorizes passersby with a M4 carbine and pink sunglasses that Elle Woods might wear to a costume party. This new world order seems to have empowered him to create his own little fascistic bubble. Dunst & Co. happen to cross his path on their way to D.C. — perhaps the only time Dunst’s fearless character cracks. This is the real-life couple’s third project together after Fargo and The Power of the Dog. It’s also how Dunst met Spaeny, whom she recommended to Sofia Coppola for the title role in Priscilla.

Is Civil War like other Alex Garland movies?

Aside from the fact that Garland has never been particularly fond of backstory, it’s quite different. Ex Machina, Annihilation, Men, and the FX miniseries Devs were all sci-fi or horror. Civil War is certainly horrific, but it’s not a genre movie in the same way. It’s a difficult sort of speculative fiction, more interested in blowing up the Lincoln Memorial than creating mutated beasts.

Will the movie be a hit?

Budgeted at $50 million, this is A24’s most expensive project yet. The studio is endeavoring to make films that are more commercial, some based on existing IP, and Civil War is sort of a lead-up to that new era. (An adaptation of the best-selling video game Death Stranding will kick it off in earnest.) A24 will forego its typical platform strategy and release the movie wide on April 12. The trailers certainly feel commercial, emphasizing the action in a way that’s likely to lure in moviegoers who don’t know the difference between Red Rocket and The Green Knight.