Andersonville

Set during the early summer of 1864, amid the waning years of the Civil War. Prisoners endure deteriorating conditions as resources dwindle and disease spreads. The narrative frames a critical moment when prisoner exchanges are debated, reflecting the broader war policy and its human cost.

The film shifts from the battlefield near Cold Harbor in Virginia to the brutal POW camp at Camp Sumter in Andersonville, Georgia. It shows the stark geography of Civil War captivity: barren grounds, minimal shelter, and scarce clean water. The setting underscores the contrast between battlefield heroism and the grim realities of captivity.

🕯️ Survival & Morality

In Camp Sumter, prisoners improvise for survival—tunnels, scavenged food, and wary alliances—while facing choices that test their ethics. The film probes how desperation can push individuals toward both solidarity and treachery. It shows the fragile balance between human dignity and the will to endure.

⚖️ Justice & Power

Internal orders, executions of Raiders, and the interaction with Wirz reveal how authority can mask brutality under the veneer of procedure. The story questions what constitutes true justice within a crumbling system of wartime captivity.

🪜 Escape & Rebellion

The secret tunnel and the riot embody a collective instinct to resist oppression. The prisoners' attempts at escape become acts of moral rebellion as groups push back against dehumanizing rules.

🕊️ Memory & Cost

The closing scenes, with the cemetery and the note about prisoner exchanges, connect the prisoners' suffering to historical memory. The film reflects on the lasting human and national costs of the Civil War and the memory of those who did not return.