‘Civil War’, a film starring Wagner Moura, is based on four real events

Although “Civil War” is framed in the dystopian genre, something considered far from reality, the film starring Wagner Moura and directed by Alex Garland has been reflecting narratives, tensions and events in Brazil and the world that have occurred in recent years. The film presents the United States, considered by many “one of the pillars of Western democracy”, in a scenario of an internal civil war.

This war is fought between the Western Forces, an alliance of the states of Texas and California, the Florida Alliance, and the Washington government. In the story, the president of the USA, whose name is not revealed, changes the country’s constitution to allow for a third term. In this scenario, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US federal police, was dismantled. The result is an increasingly divided society and the triggering of a civil war.

A team of war journalists, pioneers in the field, decides to travel across the country devastated by polarization. The mission is to record the scale of the tragedy and document the chaotic situation in the country. Along this journey, journalists encounter circumstances that, despite being fictitious, directly reflect recent conflicts and disputes.

1 – Xenophobia

Prejudice against foreign people, whether from another city, state or country, is addressed in the film. In this case, it is perpetrated by the Legalists group, who still support the president and his repressive actions. And there are recent records of recent crimes of this type in the country itself. In 2021, a man shot up massage parlors in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in the deaths of six Asian women.

The previous year, in 2020, the Center for the Study of Extremism at California State University in the US recorded a 150% increase in hate crimes against Asians in 16 of the largest US cities, compared to 2019. During his tenure in the USA from 2016 to 2020, former President Donald Trump implemented a policy of “zero tolerance” for immigrants caught illegally crossing the border with Mexico.

According to the international NGO Humans Right Watch, this policy resulted in the separation of approximately 3,000 children from their parents. However, in June 2020, Trump revoked the measure that authorized the separation of families in these circumstances. The measure increased xenophobia in the country.

2 – Refugee camp

In the feature film, the group of journalists pays a visit to a refugee camp. In contrast to the rest of the country, the countryside presents itself as a temporary refuge that appears safe for children, the elderly and adults who have lost their homes. According to the Global Trends Report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2022, 108.4 million people were forced to move, of which 35.3 million are refugees, as is happening now in Palestine, after a constant armed conflict caused by the Israeli armed forces in the region.

Just as portrayed in “Civil War,” camps help provide vital resources, such as water and food, for their inhabitants. Seeking refuge from political persecution and violence resulting from armed conflicts, these people find themselves in a situation of extreme social vulnerability.

3 – Separatist movements

While the idea of ​​a state or group of states seeking independence from their own country and people may seem dystopia-worthy, this is or has been a reality in some countries. In the film, this is exemplified by the unlikely alliance between Texas and California, along with Florida rebels, which serves as the main plot thread.

Earlier this year, for example, Texas suffered a wave of “Texit” claims following a Supreme Court ruling in favor of President Joe Biden’s administration in a border barrier controversy. Texas has faced an increase in the number of people crossing the border from Mexico, intensifying the debate over illegal immigration in the state. And Trump inflamed supporters with the idea of ​​the state separating from the United States. Read more in this Forum article.

4 – Civil wars

A civil war, which is a conflict that occurs within the borders of a nation and which gives the film its title, can trigger terrible violence and drastic government actions, similar to those experienced by the characters, especially when there is a scenario of intensified polarization. Although the most remembered reference in American territory is the “Secession War” (1861-1865) with the separatists, also known as “secessionist rebels”, the film actually reflects current civil wars that occur in other countries.

O Yemen, one of the most impoverished countries in the Middle East, has been mired in civil war for a decade. The political instability that followed the Arab Spring protests in 2014 resulted in the ouster of then-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and frequent attacks by the al-Qaeda group. This context gave rise to separatist movements, resulting in the conquest of a portion of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, by the Shiite Houthi rebel group, which now controls 70% of Yemen’s territory.

Furthermore, in accordance with the Bahian act, the protagonist of the plot, the film still reflects the real and possible consequences of far-right governments around the world:

“All leaders who have authoritarian tendencies, the first things they try to silence are journalism, universities and artists. Because there are three forces that make us think and that connect us with reality”, said Moura in an interview with MidiaNinja last week. “It is no coincidence that Trump speaks ill of journalists, that Bolsonaro speaks ill of journalists,” he highlighted.