LOS ANGELES – Could the United States and other major democracies collapse and descend into civil war?

This is the dystopian scenario imagined in the action thriller Civil War, which follows a group of journalists on a road trip through a war-torn America where citizens are pitted against one another in a bloody armed conflict.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on April 10, the movie is written and directed by Alex Garland, the English film-maker behind the acclaimed science-fiction drama Ex Machina (2014).

Kirsten Dunst plays veteran war photographer Lee, who is accompanied by her colleague Joel (Wagner Moura) and rookie reporter Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) as she heads to Washington, DC to interview the embattled president (Nick Offerman).

The audience never learns exactly what has caused this civil conflict, but the film will speak to the political anxieties of many Americans, says Dunst, who was Oscar-nominated for the psychological drama The Power Of The Dog (2021).

“For me personally, I’m most concerned lately about women’s rights and also about gun control in the US,” says the 41-year-old American actress, who also appeared in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002 to 2007).

The proliferation of guns in the US makes her fear for her family’s safety. She has two sons, aged five and two, with husband Jesse Plemons, the 36-year-old American actor who appeared with her in the crime comedy-drama Fargo (2014 to present) and also has a supporting role in Civil War.

“Having children and being worried about being in a park – having those thoughts is just part of being a mother or a father in America,” she says.

Guns are ubiquitous in the film’s story and for Dunst, the danger they pose to Americans is all too real.

“When (the 2012) Sandy Hook (school shooting) happened, I was in high school, but I knew then that if killing a bunch of kindergarteners didn’t change gun laws, nothing would.

“The gun control in the US is insane,” she says.

But one does not have to be American to relate to the broader political issues explored by Civil War, which shows what can happen when systems of democracy and government break down.

Moura, the 47-year-old Brazilian actor who played drug lord Pablo Escobar in the first two seasons of the crime drama Narcos (2015 to 2017), says: “I’m concerned about the state of democracy in the world, not only in the US but everywhere. I think the polarisation in the world is posing a threat to democracies in general.”

That said, Moura – who has three sons aged 11 to 17 with wife Sandra Delgado, a Brazilian photographer – believes the film “does not have a political agenda” even though it is “a very political film”.

For instance, a scene where an unnamed soldier played by Plemons points a gun at reporters and says, “What kind of American are you?”, hints at racism and xenophobia, suggesting it may have played a part in this war.

“It was a very emotional and hard scene for me to play, as a guy from Brazil who lives in this country and speaks with an accent,” says Moura.

But despite its bleak vision of the future, Dunst was compelled to be part of telling this story.

“My heart was racing when I read the script because I felt like I’d never read anything like this before,” says the former child star who first found fame playing a vampire in the horror movie Interview With The Vampire (1994).

“I remember telling my friends, ‘I really want to play this role. I’ve never done anything like this.’”

And Dunst thinks Civil War is ultimately full of hope because it is trying to start a conversation.

“I think we made a film that will really affect people and, as artistes, that’s the greatest goal,” she says.

“And to be a part of something like this makes us all really proud.”

Civil War opens in Singapore cinemas on April 10.