‘Civil War’ Ending Explained — Who Wins When America Fights Itself? 5b6242

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Civil War’

The Big Picture 2e4m3u

• Civil War
  imagines the U.S. engulfed in a war, with government forces attacking civilians and journalists in the Capitol.
• The film follows a group of journalists, led by Kirsten Dunst’s character, attempting to interview the President amidst violent urban warfare.
• Alex Garland’s
  Civil War
  presents a disturbing portrayal of domestic conflict that ends on a gut-wrenching note, addressing American disunity.

While his work generally falls within the category of “science fiction,” the stories and themes that writer/director Alex Garland has addressed throughout his career have been very prophetic. As a screenwriter, Garland addressed the perils of a global pandemic in his game-changing zombie flick 28 Days Later, examined the reality of a climate crisis with his space opera Sunshine, and addressed the state of police brutality with his revisionist superhero action film, Dredd. As a director, Garland tackled the reality of artificial intelligence with the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina and the concept of alternative realities in his underrated miniseries, Devs. With Civil War, Garland has created an incisive examination of a domestic conflict that feels eerily similar to recent events in America’s history. While it makes for an uncomfortable viewing, Civil War ends on a gutting note that addresses the systemic issue of American disunity.

What Is ‘Civil War’ About? 5y6g4y

Set in the not-so-distant future, Civil War imagines a version of America where the United States is in the midst of a massive terrain conflict. While a majority of the Northeastern states remain loyal to the Union and the President of the United States (Nick Offerman), the “Florida Alliance” of southern states and “Western Forces” of Texas and California have both attempted to secede and declare themselves independent. Unwilling to cooperate with the proposed of a stalemate, the President has taken to bombing domestic targets and increasing the presence of the United States military throughout the nation.

Although it appears that the rebel factions will be launching a full-scale attack on the White House in Washington D.C., a group of journalists makes a desperate attempt to interview the President before it’s too late. The renowned photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) has earned national recognition for her outstanding work capturing images of the war-torn nation. She is accompanied by her Floridian colleague Joel (Wagner Moura) and the veteran The New York Times reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson). During the team’s brief stay in New York City, Lee is approached by the aspiring photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaney), who considers Lee to be one of her heroes. Although Lee is resistant to the idea of bringing along a young recruit on such a dangerous mission, Joel decides to let her them on the trip to the capital.

Throughout their road trip adventure, the journalists are exposed to shocking displays of urban warfare between different military units. Although they are ed by the Hongkonger reporters Tony (Nelson Lee) and Bohai (Evan Lai) in a refugee town on the route to Charlottesville, both of their colleagues are violently murdered by a military leader (Jesse Plemons) who refuses to tolerate anyone that isn’t an American. It appears that the deranged soldier and his followers will execute Joel, Lee, and Jessie, as they have collected evidence of the militia burying their victims in a mass grave. Although Sammy manages to save them by plowing through the soldiers, he is mortally wounded and dies in the car trip afterward. While Lee suffers from extreme post-traumatic stress disorder, Jessie begins to work even harder to capture powerful images of the war. She wants to finally prove herself to be “worthy” in Lee’s eyes by finding a “perfect shot.”

‘Civil War’ Ends With a Shocking White House Battle 6m2z5d

In the aftermath of Sammy’s death, Lee, Joel, and Jessie arrive at a Western Forces base in Charlottesville. They learn from the British reporter Anya (Sonoya Mizuno) that the rebels are preparing to storm the capital and execute the fictional President of the United States, who is portrayed as a dictator not dissimilar from America’s 45th Commander-In-Chief. The journalists follow the Western Forces to a violent battle near The White House, where the rebel soldiers engage in a firefight with the Secret Service. Although several vehicles leave the building, Lee realizes that it is a decoy meant to draw out the soldiers, and decides to enter The White House.

While the journalists enter The White House, the rebel soldiers refuse to accept the attempts to surrender requested by the President’s guards, resulting in another set of violent firefights. After being nearly pinned down by enemy fire, Jessie is saved by Lee, who dies from a stray gunshot wound. Jessie manages to snap a photo of Lee moments before her demise, capturing the death of her “hero” in intimate detail. The powerful moment of journalism is disrupted when Joel s the rebels in entering the Oval Office.

After surrounding the President, the soldiers give Joel the brief opportunity to question the President for his story. Traumatized and angry at Lee’s death, Joel declines to ask for a full interview and simply asks the President for a quote. While he desperately pleads for his life to be spared, the President is executed in cold blood by the Western Forces. Footage of soldiers standing by the President’s corpse is presented within the closing credits as the sound of Suicide’s “Keep Your Dreams” plays in the background for a particularly disturbing needle drop.

What Is Alex Garland Saying With ‘Civil War’? z4v59

Assessing the intentions of Civil War is challenging, as many of Garland’s best projects thus far require multiple viewings to entirely comprehend on a thematic level. While it could be seen as a warning about the prospects of division, Civil War is largely unspecific in its characterization of the political leanings of the different factions. The notion of impartiality somehow makes the film more disturbing, as the film includes footage of such iconic American landmarks as the Statue of Liberty.

Although Garland has itted his lack of enthusiasm for the state of the film industry, Civil War is an incendiary work of fiction that is bound to generate intense discussions. It may be easy to critique the graphic nature of the film’s story, but it’s also hard to deny the visceral impact of the narrative Garland presents.

Civil War is in theaters now.

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