Lakshika Mudannayake
Critical Response to “Children of Men.”
The most significant ideas arise from the setting of a text, rather than any other visual or oral feature.
Some may say that the setting of a film is purely for aesthetic purposes. However, after
closely analysing Alfonso Cuaron’s “Children of Men”, I violently disagree and this essay will argue that the most significant ideas arise from both the physical and social settings of “Children of Men.”
While first viewing the film, the main idea and theme of “Children of Men” seems to be the issue of infertility. But it is actually much more symbolic, Cuaron states that, “it was just a metaphor for the failing sense of hope.” This idea is evident in the physical setting of London, 2027.
Alfonso Cuaron’s use of single take shots not only add to the realism of the movie, but also emphasises the state of London in 2027. A single take shot being when Theo is following the baby’s cries through the war ridden building which leads to the rescue of Kee. As we follow Theo and Kee out of…
The social setting in “Children of Men” revolves around the idea of infertility and the effect it has on people, which is reflected in the physical setting. The death of baby Diego, in the opening scene establishes this idea well. We see that in the cramped cafe, peoples’ eyes are glued to the television screen which announces the death, later at Theo’s workplace when people mourn baby Diego’s death and on the radio in Jasper’s car. Interestingly, even though Theo seems to not care about Diego’s death specifically, even calling him a “wanker”, he says “since women stopped being able to have babies, whats left to hope for?” This shows how even for a person as negative as Theo Faron, he is realistic enough to realise that the world they are living in is hopeless and how Diego was the last beacon of hope for the people in Britain and all over the world, because of these extreme…
