The 570th film I have seen in theaters…

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In the not too distant future, the United States has been divided by Civil War. As rebel forces converge on Washington D.C., a team of journalists chase the big story: An interview with the President.

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The central story revolves around 2 characters: Lee a veteran war photographer and Jessie, a young photographer who idolizes her. They are played by Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. Dunst does great work here. As we see Lee slowly break down under the pressure of the war, we see Jessie get stronger, eventually surpassing her idol. Great work here.

Supporting them are Wagner Moura as Joel, Lee’s journalist colleague and Stephen McKinley Henderson as Sammy, a mentor to the characters. Moura gives a great nuanced performance as Joel. Brash & cavalier, we eventually see the war tear him down. Henderson is the voice of wisdom, a relatively simple role which he carries well.

Then there’s this asshole. Haha

Jesse Plemons did not take an acting credit for this movie. I get why he did this, but man he was amazing. This one scene was easily the best of the entire film. The menace, the casual evil. Holy crap. This was incredible.

This was a powerful movie. I also never need to see it again. lol.

Alex Garland has made another excellent film, not about the war, but the journalists. Specifically this concerns photojournalism, the power of an image. Why is the civil war being fought? What are the stances of the various factions? Doesn’t matter. This is much how the journalists cover the story. Non involvement or opinion, just get the shot. Show the truth of the situation.

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8/10

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