Civil War: Alex Garland’s thriller opens to rave reviews after criticism for timing

Apocalyptic ‘cautionary tale’ imagining violent conflict in US and released in tumultuous election year premieres at SXSW

After months of online speculation, writer-director Alex Garland’s button-pushing thriller Civil War has premiered at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

The film imagines what America would look like in the midst of full-scale civil war with broken supply lines, abandoned highways and a national military cleaved into opposing factions. Set to be released during a fractious election year, it shows a dystopian near future in which the US is riven by military conflict from within.