essay

Final Paper

Film Analysis: Children of Men

Introduction

The movie film Children of Men showcases a dystopian world in utter chaos, raising the questions: Is manAre human beings truly civilized? Are his or hertheir wild inclinations to survival just subdued? Until when are the factors that are necessary to stimulate them availed? Comment by Matt: Never “movie,” always “film.” Comment by Matt: As stated multiple times in the past, the first mention of film titles should be accompanied by the director and year in parentheses. Comment by Matt: AWK

Thematic Analysis

The film is centered around the theme of fertility, children, and parenthood. People have been devastated by the spread of infertility across the world, following a global war that has triggered an apocalypse of sorts. With the birth of Diego Ricardo, humanity believes it has been given a fighting chance to maintain their survival and forestall their extinction. However, when Diego dies at 18 because of an angry admirer, the world is plunged into utter chaos as there is no cure in sight any longer (Krzywinska, 2000). In the year 2027 the planet Earth had started to become more of a barren land since the hope for future of human race had been lost. 19 years passed since the last baby took birth on the planet Earth. The later generations of the human race have started incline toward extinction. The act of global childlessness has swept almost all of the Earth and how they have been striving to find a way to continue their existence towards the human race. Comment by Matt: No. The infertility crisis has triggered global chaos. There is no war that precedes that crisis. Comment by Matt: Not true. “Baby” Diego just happens to have been the last person born before the crisis completely took effect. He offers no hope. His lifespan has simply become the ticking clock on the human race. Comment by Matt: There was never any cure in sight. This is a complete mischaracterization of the plot and premise of the film. And what on Earth are you referencing from Krzywinska here? Comment by Matt: AWK Babies don’t “take birth.” Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: AWK

The Astate of lawlessness has taken over and there no longer remains a proper system where can be a way to incorporate the existence of human race on the planet Earth. There have been many people on the planet Earth who have started to accept the fact that the population of Earth has started to deteriorate. Thus many people on the planet Earth adopted to acts of separatism and they secluded themselves from others and how they would strive for the saviour of the human race (James, 1994). The only place that showed hope of the human race saviour was Great Britain since they were the only place where the outsider refugees had come to show hope of life. These “fugees” have been detained and kept in a camp where they have been preserved so they can help enhance the growth of human race and not have them limited. Comment by Matt: AWK – and inaccurate. Britain is not lawless. Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: You are writing about the film, not the novel. Your paper should make zero references to the source material. Comment by Matt: AWK – Also, there’s no hope for the survival of humanity in Great Britain. It’s simply the one country in Europe in which the state has maintained control. Comment by Matt: This sentence is awkwardly constructed. It is also, again, another gross mischaracterization of the film’s plot and premise. The refugees are put in camps because they are regarded as an external threat to the nation. It’s xenophobia at its worst. There is nothing about “enhancing the growth of [the] human race” in this.

The character Theo has distant him from all this and has went into a state of numbness and does not respond to any of this happening in the world. He is a bureaucrat who has been turned into an activist but he has made himself strong about all this happening in the world because of his past experience and the challenges the future holds. There has been a group of human who have been on a Human project to hope for a new born baby so the human society can come into existence. Fertility is a vital element in society as the chaos being outspread is simply symbolic of the loss of hope, and the need to vent out their frustrations openly. Comment by Matt: AWK – and an abrupt shift. You need to transition between topics more smoothly. Also, you need to indent paragraphs! Comment by Matt: No, he’s a former activist who is now a bureaucrat. The trajectory here is essential to understanding his character. And it’s made quite clear in the film. Your mischaracterization of his biography is puzzling. Comment by Matt: This makes no sense. He is a broken, emotionally hollow man after the death of his son. There is nothing “strong” about him at the beginning of the film. Comment by Matt: Which is what? There’s no value in being vague about this. Comment by Matt: Again, so vague as to be a meaningless statement. Comment by Matt: AWK – and another abrupt shift in topic. Comment by Matt: Human “society” (and it’s not really society you’re talking about here) already exists.

Salient Theme

Hope is the salient theme to which the film is centered around. When Kee is found to be pregnant, the main protagonist, Theo, makes an effort to save her, and the unborn baby reveals just how vital her action and diagnosis are for all humanity (Krzywinska, 2000). Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: You need to explain who characters are when you introduce them. Comment by Matt: Again, I don’t know what you’re pulling from this source here.

Formalistic Analysis

Biblical Allusions. The film makes endless connotations aboutnumerous allusions to the Bible. Humanity’s inability to give birth is seen as a curse and/or punishment from God. As such, the only solution is that people are urged to repent, and restore devotion to their God. Comment by Matt: What are these allusions? And do they really indicate what you claim they do? Your claim that the film is about repentance as the solution to the infertility crisis is completely unsupported by the facts of the film. This is another gross misreading of the film. This film isn’t about restoring faith in God. It’s about restoring faith in oneself and each other.

Angle (Bird’s-eye View). The film director takes several camera shots using a bird’s-eye view in numerous scenes to demonstrate the chaotic position of civilization along with the state of affairs of the United Kingdom, which is the last surviving nation. Using the bird’s-eye view, the audience is thrust into the scenes of a fallen world where most legal features have stopped working (James, 1994). Additionally, the deportation for refugees demonstrates the limited resources which exist in the world, and thus, can only be offered to those who have something to provide in return. Comment by Matt: Examples? I can’t think of a single bird’s-eye-view shot off the top of my head, let alone numerous ones. Comment by Matt: WC Comment by Matt: This statement bears no logical connection to what precedes it and has nothing to do with a formal analysis.

Symbolism. A lot of symbolism is used within the film. Kee is used to symbolize Jesus’s mother, Mary, who was to give birth to the savior that the Jews had been promised, while Theo is symbolic of Joseph, Mary’s husband, who guided and protected her. The setting (the United Kingdom) is used symbolically to demonstrate civilization. The United Kingdom is considered to be the most successful empire, which spread civilizations around the world, and is the benchmark through which most civilizations were built. Comment by Matt: This is a lot of colonialist propaganda and bears no clear relationship to the Biblical symbolism you note.

Outstanding Influences in the Movie. The most outstanding influence in the film is when Kee, an African, is depicted as the last resounding cornerstone of hope that the world at large has been looking to. This diegesis is dramatic as Africa has long been hailed recognized as the cradle of civilization, and thus, to revert to this historical precedent creates an unwitting sense of rebirth. The fact that at the dawn of the apocalypse all racial lines and divisions are abandoned for the sake of procreation and continuity makes this scene much more civilized (Krzywinska, 2000). Comment by Matt: What does this phrase mean? I don’t understand this at all. Comment by Matt: WC Comment by Matt: WC Comment by Matt: Didn’t you just make this claim for Britain? Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: This simply makes no sense to me. How can a scene be “civilized”? Comment by Matt: Again, where is this in this book?

Conclusion

In summary, the film, though dystopian in nature, is very entertaining. As the director of the film, Alfonso Cuarón’s dramatic use of symbolism and biblical allusions coupled with a dystopian setting goes a great extent in capturing the audience’s attention. The concept of how the entire race could be saved and how it has been saved is described and the focus was on the characters portraying the roles properly. The story revolves around the extinction of human race and how the year 2027 has reached and nearly 19 years has passed and no baby taken birth on planet earth. These complications have led planet earth to a near extinction of human race. But the Human Project that has been worked on, has taken place and hope seems to be restored into faith. Furthermore, the paradigm shifts to Africa once being as the beginning of humanity illustrates how humanity is intertwined regardless of age and race. Comment by Matt: This is about as weak a conclusion as you could possibly offer. Comment by Matt: AWK – and virtually meaningless. Captures attention how? To what effect? Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: AWK Comment by Matt: AWK

References

James, P. (1994). The Children of Men.

Krzywinska, G. K. (2000). Science Fiction Cinema: From Outerspace to Cyberspace. Great Britain: Wallflower.