An edge-of-your-seat dystopian epic that hits far too close to home, “Civil War” follows a quartet of intrepid photojournalists as they document the harrowing events of a second American Civil War. Written and directed by Alex Garland, the film stars Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson. “Civil War” was produced by A24 and is playing exclusively in theaters.

If audiences of the opening weekend expected an escapist popcorn flick, the first five minutes violently disabused them of this illusion. Garland’s direction pulls no punches, relentlessly conveying just how catastrophically horrifying it is to be in the middle of a warzone. The shadows of tension and paranoia hang over every scene as the situation deteriorates. By the time the story reaches the final battle in Washington, D.C., audiences will be certain things cannot possibly get any worse, and yet they somehow do.

Of course, an indispensable ingredient in creating this tense atmosphere is the compelling ensemble of characters that provide an anchor of humanity amidst the chaos. At the lead is Dunst as Lee Smith, a seasoned and jaded war photographer on the edge of burnout from all the horror she has seen. Dunst balances Lee’s cynicism with a warmness and humanity that peeks out through the cracks as she bonds with amateur photographer Jessie, played by Spaeny. Jessie’s youthful enthusiasm and naivety make her the audience surrogate among the hardened journalists she travels with, which makes her gradual loss of innocence all the more heartbreaking to watch.

For a film about a violently divided America, the script is conspicuously devoid of a hard political stance. Though some viewers may have benefited from a more thorough explanation of the exact causes of the titular war, Garland makes a wise choice not to be caught up in the specific rights and wrongs so as not to dilute the sheer horror of the scenario. More than anything, “Civil War” is a warning to its audience of what happens when the citizens of a country decide they can no longer live in peace with one another.

Grim and uncompromising, “Civil War” is another resounding success for A24, a story too terrifying not to be told.