Civil War Parent Guide

In the not-so-distant future the Civil War that has destroyed the once-United States is nearing the end, with encircling forces closing in on Washington, D.C. In the midst of the carnage, war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleague, Joel (Wagner Moura), have a once-in-a-career opportunity: If they can make it to DC in time, they will be able to interview the President (Nick Offerman). Since he’s almost certainly going to be killed or captured (or both) within a matter of days, there’s no time to waste.

Joining the two journalists for the hazardous drive from New York to D.C. are Sammy (Stephen McKinely Henderson), Lee and Joel’s old mentor, and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), a young girl who idolizes Lee and dreams of becoming a war photographer. The next few days will see whether Jessie has what it takes to record some of the worst things people can do to one another.

There’s a lot to unpack in this intense production. I’m not going to give the script grief for having one of the belligerents in this war be a bizarre union of California and Texas, since that’s beside the point. The filmmakers wanted a civil war backdrop without having to talk about contemporary American politics, resulting in a wildly implausible premise. Despite their efforts, Civil War feels disturbingly relevant to the current American political climate. It’s up to you whether that backdrop feels inflammatory or precautionary, but the film makes it clear that the focus is very much on the latter. Mostly, the story is focused on the relationship between Lee and Jessie and the perils, both personal and professional, faced by combat journalists.

This is neither a fun action flick nor a blood-soaked propaganda piece, but a fairly honest look at what civil war would mean to Americans on a very small, almost individual scale. The combat scenes are as realistic as I’ve seen anywhere, and maybe this was just because I saw it in IMAX, but this movie has the most startlingly realistic gunfire I’ve ever heard.

As you might imagine, an accurate look at combat makes for grim viewing. The violence is graphic, frequent, and unpleasantly real. Have you ever noticed how many action movies just let the characters die right away when they get shot? It’s harder to have the hero look good standing in a room full of mortally wounded people, all crying out in agony and begging for help or death.

There is also, as you would expect, a significant amount of profanity, chiefly some 50 f-bombs over the course of the film. However, if sex is all you were worried about, have no fear: there are no scenes of sexual material or dialogue relating to same. There are also some scenes of substance use, most commonly involving adults drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, and, in one case, marijuana.

With its horrifying images, fratricidal impulses and frightening “what if” questions, Civil War is a movie that will make you think - and hopefully not because it increasingly resembles our reality.