"Civil War,” Alex Garland’s election-year provocation, debuted at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, unveiling a violent vision of a near-future America at war with itselfCailee Spaeny arrives for the world premiere of"Civil War," at the Paramount Theatre during the South by Southwest Film Festival, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Austin, Texas. -year provocation, debuted Thursday at the SXSW Film and TV Festival, unveiling a violent vision of a near-future America at war with itself.
The film, written and directed by the British filmmaker Garland , imagines a U.S. in all-out warfare, with California and Texas joining to form the “Western Forces.” That insurrection, along with the “Florida Alliance,” is seeking to topple a government led by a three-term president, played by Nick Offerman.
“The film is intended as a conversation. It is not asserting things — I mean I guess it’s asserting some things,” Garland told the crowd after the screening. “But it’s a conversation, and that means it’s not a lecture.” The movie year has showed signs of turning combustible as the nation girds for an election where some believe democracy is at stake. At the Academy Awards on Sunday, host Jimmy Kimmel largely avoided talking politics before reading a critical social media post from former PresidentThere are more films on the way with potential to add talking points. “The Apprentice,” in which Sebastian Stan plays Trump, was shot in the fall, though no release date has yet been announced.