The film also portrays some of the adverse effects of war reporting on the journalists themselves.
One of the strange transactions that existed for journalists, but particularly for war photographers and war correspondents is that as individuals they have to pay a price. Because there is a price to be paid for doing that thing. What is the function of a photographer in news? It’s to get an image that encapsulates a moment. I would say that journalist in the film has arrived at doing their job beautifully, at personal cost.
Why did you put Texas and California together in an alliance?
Two reasons. One is just to avoid a quick lazy read. Just take that off the table, you can’t have it. But there’s a bigger reason. I’m provoking the question, why are they together? Is it because I’m British and I’m so stupid I don’t realize they’re in two politically different spaces? I do realize their differences. But what would be so important as a threat that the polarized politics between Texas and California was suddenly seen as less important than the threat?
As soon as the trailer released, people said there are no terms under which these two states could join. Which in itself is a very clear representation of the insanity of polarized politics. There are many things Texas and California do agree on. I could draw lines between all these dots, but I don’t do that. The film is attempting to act like old-fashioned reporters, to not be biased. If you report on an assassination, are you refusing to make judgment on the assassination? No, you’re just reporting.
Why did you deliberately leave out so many details about the civil war in the film, about the politics of the two sides, and why is this not explicitly a conflict between liberal and conservatives?
Then it would be an issue that only related to this country, but it’s not. You can see it right now playing out in Israel. You can see it happening in Asia, in South America, Europe; you can see it in my own country. Now, if one is talking about polarization, extremism, the Fourth Estate, all of those things, would it be wise to make a Republican-Democrat conversation that immediately shuts down the other half? Would it even be true? It can’t be entirely true, because otherwise it wouldn’t apply to all these other countries. Now, I understand why people want it to be like that for exactly the reason that some of these news organizations have been so successful, which is that if you preach to the choir, the choir digs it.
I’ve heard reports that you are planning to pause directing. Are they true?
I’m not retiring. I’m working as a screenwriter, and screenwriters are still involved in film production. They’re different roles and directing comes with certain duties and obligations. I was just interested in a particular form of collaboration that comes as a result of working with another director rather than being the director itself.