By Peanut
Post-apocalyptic films illuminate contemporary crises by magnifying them. Uncontrolled migration. Nuclear terrorist attacks. The dissolution of law and order. In many of these films, evil forces are to blame for human suffering: ruthless machines (The Terminator, The Matrix), demented gangs (12 Monkeys, Escape from New York), etc. What the immigrants and criminals and terrorists have in common is an overwhelming sense of desperation. Children of Men takes this root cause, desperation, and magnifies it. The film envisions a future world (year 2027) in which women have lost the ability to bear children. With no hope for a next generation, the mores and morals of society break down. The utter desperation of the human race to procreate drives one man (Clive Owen) to risk life and limb to protect the last human child.
One side issue that stuck out for me in this film was the allusion to Islamic fundamentalism and global terrorism. In particular, news footage of a bombed-out Manhattan -- aparently leveled by a nuclear explosion -- gave me chills. The film's setting, London, lends itself to current-event discussions about Muslim immigration, segregation, extremism, and so on. I think it's important in this context to note that the supposed "threat" of Muslim immigration to the Western world is often exaggerated. Are European Muslims really poised to take over the continent? They constitute only 4% of the population (The Economist 28 April 2007: 40). Moreover, they come from quite diverse backgrounds and frequently fight within their own religious group, dispelling the myth of a monolithic Muslim "Other."
Children of Men does an excellent job of pulling the viewer into this dystopian near-future society, and it touches on issues that are both divisive and daunting. 3 PB Jars
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