Zoë Rose Bryant’s review published on Letterboxd:
haven’t actually rewatched this yet, but i slept on it and read a lot of great writing and woke up pretty pro-civil war (the movie not the conflict itself fyi).
struck most by its commentary on the futility of “neutrality” in journalism (what does “we record so other people ask” even mean? do lee and jessie not realize that they too are “staying out of it” in a way just like their parents? at what point do you become a participant in - and endorser of - what you’re photographing?), its portrayal of how little “political ideology” ultimately matters as an event like this escalates, even after hyperpoliticization is what caused it in the first place (the “he’s shooting at us, so we’re shooting at him” scene speaks to this so well), and the way the relationship between kirsten dunst’s lee and cailee spaeny’s jessie evolves, particularly when it comes to that final scene - which i think is the key to understanding the whole movie. “will you shoot it when it happens?” of course, because they’ll do anything for the shot - whether it’s coming from a gun or a camera. shoot first, ask questions later. all action, no emotion.
but what’s the cost of that shot?
