Filmmaker Alex Garland has shared hopes that the shocking ending of his new movie Civil War starts a "conversation".
The dystopian action film is set during an escalating second civil war in America. It follows a group of journalists who race to reach the White House before rebel factions get there first.
Civil War has landed some strong first reviews too, with some critics highlighting its ending as being particularly effective.
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In an exclusive chat with Digital Spy, Civil War’s writer and director Garland has explained that there's a reason why he wanted the film to end in a particular way.
"It was always that ending," he said. "You know, there [are] different sorts of films. And some films in a sense, and I don’t mean this is a bad way, but they’re almost designed so that you stop thinking about them as soon as the film is over.
"You had the experience, you enjoyed it and the film is over, and then you can go and get a burger or a pizza and talk about something completely different."
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He continued: "There is no judgment in that, that is completely fine. In fact I like a lot of films like that. But there are others that are designed to… It’s like you rang a bell, and you want the bell to keep ringing in someone’s head, so they’re remembering imagery or they’re remembering scenes or they’ve been puzzled about something and then they ask a friend: what did you make of that? Should it mean this? This is that sort of film. What I hope people will take from it is the sense of being in a conversation."
Kirsten Dunst stars in the movie as journalist Lee, and she shared with us what she hopes audiences will take away from watching the movie.
"The good thing about this movie is that, it is truly one of those movies where everyone will take away whatever they want and there will be very interesting conversations after, I think, amongst your friends and your family," she said.
"It really is one of those movies where you don’t want to put any of your own stuff on it."
Civil War is released in cinemas on April 12.
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After studying for an English degree at the University of Exeter, Erin completed a PPA-accredited Masters in Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. She first joined the Digital Spy team in late 2023, writing across both news and features.
Erin is a fan of all things TV, from comedy and drama to reality TV and soaps.
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over eight years. Based in the UK, she is a former deputy movies editor at Digital Spy, and previously worked for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas. Mireia's work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema and GamesRadar+ in the UK. She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London. LinkedIn
