Jakarta. Filmmaker Alex Garland is trying to give a snapshot of what war journalists go through in his latest movie “Civil War”. And out of all aspects, it was the sound design that caught my attention the most when watching the 109-minute film in a recent special screening. 

“Civil War”, which will soon hit Indonesian cinemas, tells the story of a team of journalists trying to cover the civil war in the dystopian future of America. We have renowned war photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), journalist Joel (Wagner Moura) and veteran journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) on the team. Their journey to cover the last moments of the White House is also joined by young aspiring journalist Jessie Cullen (Cailee Spaeny) who looks up to Lee. 

Albeit its title, “Civil War” does not give enough political context so the audience might wonder how the conflict even started in the first place. But this is possible because the film wants the audience to focus more on the journalists’ struggles instead. And this focus may explain the acoustic decisions the movie makes. 

Throughout "Civil War", we will often see Lee and Jessie taking shots of the war. In the midst of chaos or the fighting, whenever they take a picture, everything goes silent, except you will hear the camera shutters. The screen will then show the picture taken for a few seconds or so. This gives the audience time to let the photos sink before they return back to the battlefield. The “short breaks” from the war also somehow separate the journalists --in this case, Jessie-- from the chaos that is happening on the ground. Because at the end of the day, a journalist’s job is to record events without ever intervening in the situation.

“Civil War” does not play that much music, although there are a few exceptions. Again, they are not without a reason. The film shows Jessie’s growth as a journalist. 

In the beginning, Jessie gets too scared to take pictures when she encounters two men getting tortured. Lee then tells Jessie that it’s not their job to intervene, advice that the young photojournalist later follows. Not long after, we see the team covering a combat between militiamen and loyalist soldiers. As the loyalists get executed -- a moment that Jesse is brave enough to photograph -- we hear an upbeat song playing on the soundtrack. At a glance, the music might feel out of place, considering the disturbing images and how we can only hear gun fire in earlier combat. But the upbeat choice of a song is fitting for Jesse’s growth. 

Music plays when Western Forces execute the president at the White House. The team -- now only left with Jesse and Joel -- gets to capture his final moments. For the journalist Jessie, this is a moment of triumph as she (and Joel) finally get what they are looking for. Jessie has just witnessed her mentor Lee get killed in a crossfire, but the young girl remains professional and does her job. 

And if there is one word to describe “Civil War”, I would pick “explosive”. During moments of fighting, you will only be able to hear the loud gunfire and explosives, making it feel like you are also in the warzone. How the movie quickly switches from calm moments of camaraderie to intense fighting and vice versa keeps you on the edge of your seat. I admit there were moments when I screamed when I heard the sudden loud booms. 

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