Summary

• A24 releases the first trailer for its film Civil War, providing a glimpse into a near-future America breaking out into civil war.
• The trailer hints at a skewed universe through visual and dialogue cues, suggesting a brokenness in this future America.
• The trailer suggests that Civil War will explore salient social commentary, following the director's trend of producing relevant and thought-provoking films.

A24 has shared the first trailer for Civil War, its film that's already generating a lot of buzz. Written and directed by Alex Garland, Civil War stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and more. Until now, the movie has been a bit of a mystery, with additional details few and far between. Ahead of the trailer, A24 released a poster that only increased interest in the film, as it shows the Statue of Liberty with armed soldiers at the top.

Now, A24 has shared the first trailer for Civil War.

The trailer establishes the story of Civil War, which had previously been under wraps. The film will be set in the near-future and see an America breaking out into civil war. In the thrilling trailer, both sides race to take over the White House.

Civil War Looks Like Salient Political Commentary

Throughout its two-minute first look, the Civil War trailer reveals several aspects of its near-future world. In one shot, the American flag is glimpsed, except instead of the 13 stripes and 50 stars, the stripes are accompanied by just two oversize white stars. The dialogue of the Civil War trailer also hints at this skewed universe. For example, an announcement refers to the “Florida alliance” and a character later refers to the “so-called Western forces of Texas and California,” hinting towards the brokenness of this future America.

The trailer itself contains subtler moments and high-intensity fight scenes, suggesting a fascinating journey in Civil War.

The Civil War trailer also points towards some of the salient themes that Garland’s next feature will explore. In one scene, the protagonist walks into a boutique-like clothing store in which the employees seem relatively calm. The man points out that there is a massive Civil War erupting in America, to which the employee responds “we just try to stay out. With what we see in the news, seems like it's for the best.” This response suggests that while some Americans will be in battle, others will choose to stay willfully ignorant until they can no longer ignore the problems.

The trailer itself contains both these subtler moments and high-intensity fight scenes, suggesting a fascinating journey in Civil War. Garland is no stranger to social commentary, most recently putting out the gender parody film Men. Civil War will continue the director’s trend towards pressingly relevant films, and he will do so with heightened stakes as he explores a future America that appears chillingly close to the United States’ current path.

Source: A24