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The politics ofCivil Warare nonpartisan and vague on purpose, according to writer-director Alex Garland.
Why are we shutting [conversation] down?
Garlandwonderedat a South by Southwest panel on March 15, the day after the films world premiere.
Left and right are ideological arguments about how to run a state.
Thats all they are.
They are not a right or wrong, or good and bad.
It caused a gut reaction.
I was just so shook.
I didnt know what to do with myself.
She calls it a realistic warning or fable about what happens when the wrong people are in power.
But Nick Offerman denies that his character represents Donald Trump.
Thats what I think is so brilliant about this film.
He continued, Everybodys mad about those other jerks, and this movie transcends that.
Its about all of us.
And Im so grateful for that.
Instead, it asks audiences to reconsider the direction were heading.
To summarize: Its not aboutnow, its about thefuture, but also … us, now.
So do you believe that its not political?
I mean … its an anti-war film, she tellsVariety.
This movie, after you see it, you want to talk about it for a while with people.
And I think any movie that does that is incredible.
The actor does not believe that the films president is a stand-in for Trump, however.
It feels fictitious to me, she says.
I dont want to compare because thats the antithesis of the film.
Its just a fascist president.
But I didnt think about Nicks character being any certain political figure.
For Spaeny, the films warning about the consequences of divisiveness shook her like it did Dunst.
It was the first time that I felt like the message really went through me, she says.
You know, it felt like a gut punch.
Dunst says the main takeaway of the film isnt politics.
April 8, 2024:Wagner Moura admits that the film made him reevaluate his own approach to politics.
I dont believe that films have a message, he tellsMovieWeb.
I can tell you what changed for me from after I wrapped this film.
Thats been a great exercise in my life.
Because Im finding that there is more common ground than I thought.
Its going on all over the world, she says.
The Ukrainian-Russian War started when we were rehearsing.
This will always be a global issue: polarization.
Its really for you to ingest.
But I think whats powerful about the film is it gets people talking about whats wrong.
That doesnt meanCivil Waris partisan.
Its about how important journalism is, she says in an interview withIndieWire.
