Britflix: Children of Men

Dystopian fiction is a sub-genre of fiction that the British excel at. A film that is one of the best in the sub-genre is 2006’s Children of Men.

In the year 2027, the world has gone to hell. No child has been born for 18 years, the youngest person in the world has been murdered, and chaos reigns around the world. Britain is the only country still functioning, but it has resulted in authoritarianism, civil disorder, and refugees being locked up.

Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is a former activist who has been jaded with the world for a long time. He spends his time drinking to get him through the day. However, his ex-girlfriend, Julian (Julianne Moore) comes back into his life and asks for his help. This leads Theo into a task that could change humanity.

Children of Men was based on P. D. James’ 1992 novel of the same name. However, the film uses the basic premise of the novel and told its own story. In the novel, Theo was an Oxford Don and the cousin of the Warden of England, the dictator of the country, and a political group ask Theo to pass on their reform requests. Some of the changes the film made included cutting the group suicide ritual and people doting over kittens like children (so now more like a commentary on Instagram).

The biggest changes the film made were the tone and religious themes. In the novel, the world had fallen into a quiet resignation and accepted humanity’s fate. Whilst in the film the world was burning. James was an Anglican, so Christianity was portrayed as a kind and gentle institution that gave people reassurance. The film ran with the idea that the first birth in a generation was a miracle and looked deep into the idea of faith. If you are a fan of the film but never read the novel I would highly recommend it because it is a different interpretation of the same idea. James did praise the film and even has a cameo at the beginning so you can return the favour.

Even as a fan of the film I still would have liked to have seen some scenes and ideas from the novel. In the novel there was a scene where a deer enters a church and shooed away by a priest, leading him to break down in tears. In the novel, the youngest generation was 25 and in an earlier draft of the screenplay, they were 21 years old. I would have liked that bigger distance from childhood. Finally, in the novel and an earlier draft of the screenplay showed that some people were so desperate for children that they have life-like baby dolls. However, their absence didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the film.

The old adage of sci-fi is a piece of work is a commentary of its day. This was certainly the case with Children of Men. The film came out during the War of Terror and the invasion of Iraq and these events were influences on the film. Britain in the film was constantly suffering from terrorist attacks: the film opens with an excellent sequence where Theo just avoided being a victim of a terrorist bombing. Britain was a country where civil liberties were being infringed which tapped into issues of the day because the US government introduced the Patriot Act and the British government was extending the length of time terrorist suspects could be held before being charged. Torture was also a theme in the film because one character was a journalist where it was implied she was tortured and became catatonic as a result. When Theo arrived in Bexhill there was a man being forced to stand up with hood whilst being electrocuted, just like one of the infamous Abu Ghraib photos.

The death of Baby Diego was portrayed as a worldwide tragedy. Within Britain, the event caused a sense of collective grief and sorrow. It was a similar reaction to when Princess Diana died.

Whilst the themes about terrorism, and torture at then-recent issues, the refugee theme is more topical now than it was in 2006. In the film refugees were treated with no compassion; they were just rounded up, put in cages before being sent to camps that were warzones. Refugees came to Britain because it was one of the few countries that were functioning, but they were not welcomed. The refugee theme did have a contemporary basis because in Britain at the time where people seeking asylum and were sent to centres whilst their applications were being processed. Children of Men pushed this idea to its extreme.

Dystopia stories can fall into two camps: they are either top-down where there is a dominant government, like Nineteen-Eighty-Four, or down-up where law-and-order is struggling to be maintained – like A Clockwork Orange or Mad Max. Children of Men manages to do both. The government’s presence was foreboding with its cages of refugees surrounded by guards, the constant police presence, and the digital billboards giving the public reminders of their civil duties. At the same time, the young were running amok by attacking trains and cars and there was graffiti and political messages littering the walls. The film was able to master showing the worst of both worlds.

Children of Men was famously directed by Alfonso Cuarón who is considered one of the best directors currently working. I believe Children of Men is his magnum opus. He made a grim and depressing film but there were still moments of levity due to Jasper (Michael Caine) being a crazy hippie and Theo reacting to certain situations with exasperation. Even in all this despair, there was a sense of hope. One of the most beautiful moments in the film was when the people of Bexhill see the baby for the first time, and everyone stops fighting for a brief moment.

Hope was also a major part of Theo’s character. When the film starts Theo was a man who living day-by-day and only thought about himself and his friend. He only gets involved with The Fishes because they offer him money, but he ends up having to Kee’s protector. He went from a cynical man who thought the Human Project was a myth to having faith they exist.

Cuarón was a master craftsman and he worked Emmanuel Lubezki who is one of the best cinematographers in the business. The pair employed a technique I am often a sucker for: long continuous shots. Children of Men’s most famous and ambitious shot was the six-minute-long scene that followed Theo in a war zone. It was a great sequence that gives the audience a sense of what modern urban warfare and how horrific it can be. There were also other unbroken shots that were a marvel to watch and showcase Cuarón and Lubezki’s skills.

Children of Men was a fantastic film that was bleak but rewarding as it showcases a personal journey amidst a well build dystopian world.