My brother was over for the Bowl games last weekend, and the trailer for the upcoming movie “Civil War” sparked all kinds of discussion and debate.
He argued that a Civil War wouldn’t be possible in the United States, adding there was no single issue that could divide the nation like slavery did back in 1861 or produce a clear demarkation like the Mason-Dixon Line. Such a war couldn’t be sustainable given the size of the U.S. Military.
While I appreciated those thoughts I disagreed with him on a few points.
‘A race to the White House in a near-future America balanced on the razor’s edge.’ – the one-line teaser from studio A24 on the April 26 release.
The trailer mentions that California, Florida and Texas are out and that Texas and California have joined to form the “Western Alliance” in a fight against the remainder of the U.S. and U.S. military. To which my brother scoffed, “Texas and California joining together to do anything?”
I countered that California is Texas outside of the big cities and that how we handle immigration could easily turn those states against any kind of federal action.
I shared with my brother that I’ve thought for a long time, really since I read “Cadillac Desert” by Marc Reisner, that the most obvious next Mason-Dixon Line is the Rocky Mountains and California and the West just leaving the East over water and environmental issues.
The discussion wasn’t heated but it was intense. We were talking about real potentialities. I was amazed that a trailer for a movie had caused that intense a conversation.
Oh, and Michigan and Washington won. Two states on the same side in the trailer, one imagines.
I have another friend who constantly recommends books like “The Fourth Turning is Here,” “The End of the World is Just the Beginning” and “Hospicing Modernity.” It’s safe to say that Alex Garland (the writer/director of A24’s “Civil War”) isn’t blind to our deep fears as a nation.
His upcoming film directly taps into them.
This year could be a watershed moment in U.S. history: the 2024 presidential election, major climate events, Trump court cases, Hunter Biden’s indictment, wars in the Middle East and Europe, SCOTUS rulings, supply chain glitches and God knows what else.
Is this kind of art helping us right now?
The movie directed by filmmaker Alex Garland, takes place in near future which the US breaks out into a violent conflict. IMDB inaccurately states a runtime of 3 hours and 15 minutes, as A24 confirms the film spans only 2 hours.#a24 #civilwar pic.twitter.com/FCFiBexZ6I
— Viral World Media (@viralmediatwt) January 2, 2024
Do we need a movie like “Civil War” at a time when so much is at stake and working together is essential? Does it call forth our better angels? Does it hit too close to the bone?
Does it become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
I’m not one to ban art or limit free speech in any way, and yet where is the line between a movie and yelling “fire” in a crowded theater (an oft-used phrase that, while imperfect, captures a nuance in the frees speech arena)?
Garland is playing with matches near a tinder box.
I’ve been teaching in higher education for the past 15 years, and I always tell my students, “The future is unpredictable as leadership is always a wild card. You never know who will rise to the occasion.”
Maybe we need leaders in the world of art right now to help us envision a better future, to help us find a way out of this and help this nation dream again.
I’d like to see that movie drop in 2024.
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