The silver screen's struggle to tackle the darker aspects of Trump-era America is a cinematic conundrum that's become all too familiar. As the democratic system faces an existential threat from the hands of autocratic forces, Hollywood seems to be struggling with how to bring these quiet threats to life on screen.
A recent Netflix release, Anniversary, epitomizes this struggle. The film takes aim at an America in which a charismatic, right-wing leader orchestrates a coup, selling democracy short on its value and instead touting a sinister vision of unity through "plurality". While the first half of the movie is engaging, it soon devolves into a shallow exploration of the stakes, glossing over the messy details that would make the dystopian narrative feel more grounded.
This trend of Hollywood opting for explosions over nuance has become all too common. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another attempts to address this by depicting a brutal military establishment hell-bent on enforcing immigration laws. While not perfect, the film effectively channels a sense of unease and foreboding, which is perhaps its greatest strength.
However, it's Alex Garland's Civil War that has truly resonated with me in recent days. Despite its limitations, the film taps into a peculiar nostalgia for a bygone era when America was less embroiled in conflict and more concerned with symbolic gestures like those in Charlottesville. This quaint pre-ICE order feels alarmingly close to the world we live in today, where a wave of vitriolic protests can lead to violent clashes.
It's this disquieting feeling that lingers long after watching Civil War. Unlike Anniversary, which seemed content to rest on its laurels and leave the viewer wondering what could have been, Civil War makes a disturbingly prescient point about the state of America in 2024. As we continue to grapple with issues like immigration, voter suppression, and the erosion of democratic institutions, it's clear that the creative industries must do better than simply dodging these problems.
Perhaps the problem lies not so much with the filmmakers themselves but rather our collective apathy towards the intricacies of American politics. We've become accustomed to only paying attention to the explosive moments in our national conversation, relegating the quiet, tedious work of subterfuge and manipulation to the periphery. It's time for us to demand more from our entertainment – more nuance, more subtlety, and a willingness to confront the messy realities that shape our world.
For now, though, we're left with Civil War, its haunting images seared into our collective consciousness like a warning sign on a deserted highway: "Turn back while you still can."
A recent Netflix release, Anniversary, epitomizes this struggle. The film takes aim at an America in which a charismatic, right-wing leader orchestrates a coup, selling democracy short on its value and instead touting a sinister vision of unity through "plurality". While the first half of the movie is engaging, it soon devolves into a shallow exploration of the stakes, glossing over the messy details that would make the dystopian narrative feel more grounded.
This trend of Hollywood opting for explosions over nuance has become all too common. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another attempts to address this by depicting a brutal military establishment hell-bent on enforcing immigration laws. While not perfect, the film effectively channels a sense of unease and foreboding, which is perhaps its greatest strength.
However, it's Alex Garland's Civil War that has truly resonated with me in recent days. Despite its limitations, the film taps into a peculiar nostalgia for a bygone era when America was less embroiled in conflict and more concerned with symbolic gestures like those in Charlottesville. This quaint pre-ICE order feels alarmingly close to the world we live in today, where a wave of vitriolic protests can lead to violent clashes.
It's this disquieting feeling that lingers long after watching Civil War. Unlike Anniversary, which seemed content to rest on its laurels and leave the viewer wondering what could have been, Civil War makes a disturbingly prescient point about the state of America in 2024. As we continue to grapple with issues like immigration, voter suppression, and the erosion of democratic institutions, it's clear that the creative industries must do better than simply dodging these problems.
Perhaps the problem lies not so much with the filmmakers themselves but rather our collective apathy towards the intricacies of American politics. We've become accustomed to only paying attention to the explosive moments in our national conversation, relegating the quiet, tedious work of subterfuge and manipulation to the periphery. It's time for us to demand more from our entertainment – more nuance, more subtlety, and a willingness to confront the messy realities that shape our world.
For now, though, we're left with Civil War, its haunting images seared into our collective consciousness like a warning sign on a deserted highway: "Turn back while you still can."
. We need more nuance, more subtlety, and a willingness to confront the messy realities that shape our world. The creative industries must do better than simply dodging these problems - they must reflect the complexities of our time in all their messy glory 
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the problem is indeed us viewers who are only tuning in for the dramatic stuff 
we get so caught up in the spectacle and ignore the underlying issues 
like in anniversary it's all exciting at first but then it just kinda fades away 
i love how alex garland tackles these quiet threats to democracy with such nuance 
we need more films like that to make us uncomfortable and think critically about the world we live in 
It felt like they were playing it too safe and glossed over all the messy details that would make the story feel real. On the other hand, Civil War had me totally on edge - that nostalgia vibe was super unsettling and I loved how it made you think about our current state of affairs 
. We need more movies that tackle these issues with nuance and subtlety, not just explosions and shallow plots 
. Like, Anniversary was decent but felt kinda shallow after the first half. And don't even get me started on how movies always seem to default to explosions over actually exploring the problems 
. It's like it tapped into this weird nostalgia for a time when America wasn't so messed up... which is kinda disturbing because it feels way too familiar today 
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. It's time for entertainment to be more nuanced and less apathetic 
. And Civil War definitely made me think about what's going on in America today... even if it was a bit unsettling 
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it's like they're more worried about explosions than actual change... and anniversary just felt like a watered down version of the real problem 
but civil war man that one got me too 
#DemocracyAtRisk. I mean take Anniversary for example, it's like they're trying to make a point but aren't willing to get their hands dirty with some real nuance 
#MovieProblems. But then Civil War comes along and hits you right in the feels 
#RealTalk. We need more movies like that, where we're forced to confront the messiness of it all 
I mean, what's next? Are we gonna be watching a movie about America in 2025 where we're all just living in some dystopian nightmare?!?! 
. And yeah, maybe Civil War isn't perfect, but it's like, honestly, it's a reflection of our times, you know? We can't just ignore the fact that we've got a bunch of folks who are super passionate about "unity" and "nationalism"... sounds an awful lot like some pretty shady stuff to me 
. And yeah, maybe Hollywood's not doing enough to tackle these issues, but I think it's because people aren't really willing to have the hard conversations 
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. And I think that's what's so scary: we're living in a world where the quiet threats are the ones that really matter.
We need more movies like Civil War, but not because they're "good" or "artistic" – we need them because they're forcing us to confront the reality of our situation. And if that means being uncomfortable, then so be it 
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. we've become so used to just tuning out the noise and only paying attention when things get explosive 
. The way it explores this weird nostalgia for a past when things were more 'polite' and less 'raw'... it's all too familiar, you know?