Civil War Movie Review: A Deep Dive into Human Voyeurism
If you were to mention the name Kevin Carter, few people would know who that is. But those that have an interest in photography would know him.
You see, in 1994, Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. That in itself was a great achievement on his part. However, the picture in question raised a lot of hue and cry for one reason. Titled the Vulture and the little girl, while others call it the struggling girl, it brought to question how far media will go to get that shocking picture.
The picture features a collapsed child. In the background, a hooded vulture is ready to pounce once the child stops showing any signs of movement.
Reports indicate that the child was attempting to reach a feeding center hosted by the United Nations in what is now southern Sudan.
The Story behind the photo
A Wikipedia search of the story shows that for Carter, the chance to take photos in Sudan was a big career move. Indeed it was a stepping stone in his plans to become a war photographer.
In talking about what became a rather controversial photo, Carter was speaking to Silva, his colleague. With great excitement he shared how he came across a child lying in the burning sun. He took plenty of shots, and while changing the angle he saw a vulture right behind the child.
The New York Times published the photograph in March 1993. Public reaction was immediate, with some describing it as causing a sensation. Aid organizations used the same images to raise funds. Publications worldwide also published the picture and in return managed to generate huge amounts of money towards humanitarian operations in Sudan.
But there were also other reactions to the image, including anger, shock, rage, disbelief and more. Cultural writer Susan Sontag opined that anyone who was viewing the images without using it to alleviate suffering was nothing more than a voyeur.
Unfortunately Kevin Carter did not live long to enjoy the Pulitzer Prize or the fame that accompanied it. Due to negative public reaction that he could not handle, he took his own life via carbon monoxide poisoning at the tender age of 33 years.
Parallels to Civil War Movie
When I watched the movie Civil War I could not help but draw some parallels to the Kevin Carter story. Directed by Alex Garland, the movie explores the voyeuristic tendencies that is behind media consumption. It reinforces how far the media will go to sate the public’s appetite for sensationalism.
A group of journalists in a dystopian near-future America document what is happening in the country, which is ravaged by civil conflict.
Kirsten Dunst acts as the photojournalist, whose time in the industry has somewhat hardened her. One scene that shows this is when they go to a petrol station and there are two gentlemen hanging from the rafters by their arms. It doesn’t seem to faze Kirsten, neither the discussion of what should happen to the unfortunate looters. Continued torture and death are put on the table as options and the journalists are invited to choose. Her only reaction is to ask the capture if she can take a picture
Other scenes are equally disturbing, including a grave full of corpses. The executioner seems to have no problem shooting to death anyone who cannot prove they are American. Yet, his method is rather simplistic, only consisting of one question, “where are you from?
The What
Perhaps Garland’s thought process was to shock people or feed into the whole aspect of voyeurism with the use of shocking imagery. Yet, the idea isn’t new because as consumers of media, we get to see some pretty awful imagery. It brings to the fore the reality that there is a certain level of desensitization on the part of the media and consumers.
Civil war is a brilliant movie. The performances are strong and the technical aspects quite engaging. You may not quite come out of it knowing what led to the civil war as Garland seems to choose not to address it in detail. It is also difficult to bond with the main characters because they seem to exist in a moral quagmire. For instance, how are you more concerned about taking the perfect picture, which will consist of someone being brutally murdered? It all comes down to doing the job vs. being human.
The movie may also get you to question yourself as a consumer of media content. Are we, as a society, so driven to the gory and sensational, that we for a minute forget that the subject behind the lens is an actual human being?
Conclusion
Civil War is a rather unsettling look at how much we obsess with spectacle. It also highlights the ethical compromises some people must make to capture the spectacle. Yet for their efforts, like in the case of Carter, the very intended audiences end up repelled by them. but we must then question the part we play or our complicity due to the consumption of such media.
You can stream civil war on Showmax today.
