I sat in a Polish cinema last week for one of the first screenings of A24’s Civil War, which transports us to a dystopian future in which the United States splits asunder for vague reasons. While there are echoes of the fear Trump inspired in some (the movie’s president is currently in his third term, he disbanded the FBI, etc.), it doesn’t do a bad job of remaining apolitical and so allows the viewer to meditate on the state of division itself and the effects of that over and above a specific political scenario.
Dreams, or perhaps more accurately, nightmares, of a second American civil war are commonplace, especially with the election year that’s in it. Sitting in a Polish cinema as I was, though, on my walk home I found myself thinking more about the state of affairs on Europe’s eastern edge, affairs that are in some ways every bit as sundered as those of the ‘Divided States of America’.
This article is premium content
Get unlimited access to Gript
Support Gript and get exclusive content, full archives and an ad-free experience
Subscribe
Already a member? Sign in here