In a scene early in the final act, after having escaped death again, Jessie, the aspiring war photographer played by Cailee Spaeny, confides to Kirsten Dunst’s character Lee: “I’ve never had so scared and I have never felt so alive. »
“It’s a sentence that is very true,” Michèle Ouimet confirms to us after our viewing. It’s this adrenaline that makes us succeed in this job. »
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A24
Kirsten Dunst (Lee Miller) and Cailee Spaeny (Jessie Cullen) in Civil War
The one who, among other things, went to Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan and Rwanda in order to bear witness to the war for The Press specifies that she has “always remained very cautious”. “Journalists who throw themselves headlong into danger because they need their dose of adrenaline, that exists. I’ve seen some adrenaline junkies, but I’d say it’s a minority,” she adds.
The author of Leave to tell and of The promise points out that photographers take many more risks than journalists.
We can stay a little behind to observe, while the photographers must be in the action.
Michèle Ouimet, retired journalist
Alex Garland’s father, Nicholas, was a cartoonist for The Daily Telegraph, in London. He didn’t cover war, but several of his friends, who were foreign correspondents, did. Alex Garland has worked with them and feels great respect for their profession.
“I saw them outside of work, they were sarcastic, funny and warm, but when it came to their job, they were serious, rational and truly courageous. In the last 10 years, I have noticed an increase in attacks on the principles of journalism, particularly from politicians. It is among other things because this observation angers me that I represented the journalists in this way in my film,” explains the director ofEx MachinaofAnnihilation and of Men.
Fictional, but plausible
Lee and Jessie are accompanied by Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) on their journey. The first is the reporter colleague of the experienced photographer at the Reuters agency and the other is a veteran of the New York Times. Civil War tells the long and dangerous journey of the quartet from New York to Washington DC, which will take them through Pittsburgh and Charlottesville, among other places, because the highways are impassable.
PHOTO VALERIE MACON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
The director and screenwriter of Civil WarAlex Garland, during a special presentation of the film in Los Angeles
Alex Garland imagined the United States torn apart by a political conflict that is never explained. The president, played by Nick Offerman, is in his third term – when the limit is two – and hasn’t granted an interview in over a year. He broadcast messages on TV and radio intended to be reassuring in relation to the “threat” of secessionist groups, including the West Texas and California Forces as well as the Florida Alliance. Most of the country shoots each other without question. Chaos reigns and violence is omnipresent.
“I am not a pessimist, but the issue is not that we are heading towards this situation since we are already there,” believes the Briton. Terrible and inhumane acts are taking place as we speak and some are planned, thought through and motivated with such seriousness that there is a real danger of contamination. »
I grew up in an era in which it was unthinkable to repeat the mistakes of World War II. These lessons have been forgotten and it shocks me deeply.
Alex Garland, director and screenwriter of Civil War
“Life is stronger than anything”
Some scenes from Civil War offer a striking contrast between the desolation of the battlefields and the beauty of life. Soft rays of sunshine, flowers in the grass, but also humans having fun and laughing.
“The world is a place of many textures where good and evil compete,” says Alex Garland, who also wrote the novel. The Beach and the scenario of 28 Days Later. It’s quite astonishing that in a place where atrocities are taking place, there can be people nearby playing soccer or admiring the scenery. »
Michèle Ouimet confirms.
Aleppo [en Syrie] was fire and blood, but a little further away, people were going to the market, to school. The cafes were open. Real life rubs shoulders with horror, and that’s the case almost everywhere. I think he represents it well with the “twilight zone” scene.
Michèle Ouimet, retired journalist
Even in the refugee camps, where she often visited, the journalist observed resilience and glimmers of happiness, as demonstrated in the film. “People are traumatized and don’t know how long they will be there, but life is stronger than anything. »
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Michèle Ouimet in Azaz, Syria, in 2012
Among other things she liked, she highlights “the danger of empty roads: there’s no one there and suddenly you see people and you never know if they’re dangerous or not.”
The advice given by Dean Sammy also seemed relevant to him. “You need to sleep when you can, because you never know what’s going to happen.” Walking in a country at war is tricky and complicated, because you have to eat, drink, sleep, find fuel…”
Some inconsistencies
Some aspects of Civil War however, lack realism, according to Michèle Ouimet.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A24
Wagner Moura plays Joel, a journalist for Reuters.
“You can’t just walk into a military base any way you want. In Afghanistan, I filled out miles of paperwork. Then, once you’ve been accepted, they don’t take you into full surgery. Do you think they want to bother with journalists? And if you have this access, it’s because you have created a bond of trust. But they are not going to put your life in danger,” she assures.
The retired columnist also remembers Lee’s sometimes excessive detachment. “You cannot morally accept seeing acts of torture. She may have hardened… as for me, the worse things went, the more fragile I became. I suffered post-traumatic shock in Rwanda. She [Lee], it’s clear that she made one or more. »
“The more it goes on, the less realistic it becomes, but there are still moments that touched me a lot because they are true and fair,” she concludes.
Civil War is on display.