I have noticed that there are two different dystopian societies that are represented in film: one where citizens are unaware or unscathed by the society they live in and one where citizens recognize the corruption in their societies however are unable to change it. In Children of Men, everyone knows that the state they live in is twisted and corrupt however they do not have any power to change it and have lost the inner drive to attempt to change it. I believe that this film has offered the audience an interesting perspective on dystopian societies. Instead of social corruption arising out of corrupt thinking or behavior, it arises out of biological corruption. People's bodies are failing them and will not allow for the continuation of the human race. Like The Handmaid's Tale, women's inability to have children is what throws traditional social and political structure; however, it is how people react to this situation that turns these societies into dystopias. In The Handmaid's Tale, the solution was to impose strict social and biological roles. In Children of Men, there was no solution which then nearly led to complete anarchy. Instead of trying to address the problem of women's infertility, the world resorts to chaos. As people started to realize that there was not going to be a future for the human race, resistance faltered. Jasper pointed out that resistance is based on faith and as people began to lose their faith, resistance fell. What gives people faith is the promise of tomorrow. Children represent the possibilities of tomorrow because they are the ones who can change the future. At one point, Mariam says, "As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices". Children reminded people that innocence and the capacity to change still exist; without it, people lose the will to resist corruption because what's the point?
I believe that the most powerful moment in this film is when Theo and Kee are walking through the war-torn building at the end of the film. Everyone stops at the sound of the crying baby because for the first time in eighteen years, there was hope. There was a promise of a future where people could achieve social harmony and life would continue with the promise that things could get better. There finally was a reason to value life; however, it did not seem to change anything because after Theo and Kee are clear of the building, the fighting starts up again.Why is this? Why after pausing to appreciate the beauty of new life do people continue on with the unnecessary destruction of human life? I believe that the answer is that in order to correct the shortcomings of the current dystopian society, life and society needs to start over. That is the purpose of the Human Project. I believe that while the Human Project's purpose is to study and treat infertility, it is also working towards the collaboration of humans to prepare for a prosperous future. It is attempting to restart society and hopefully eradicate the corruption and lack of faith seen in this dystopian setting.
I wrote something very similar to this post, and agree with basically every point you have brought up. In my analysis, I agreed about that scene and how paradoxical it was. You bring up some of the questions that I do, and think it's quite perplexing to see. I still don't understand how the people in this film can value young life so much, yet not each others lives. There really is a lot of imagery for rebirth, like you say, but I believe it's for the society as a whole. I think it's a very good point, the purpose of the Human Project that you make. You say "it is also working towards the collaboration of humans to prepare for a prosperous future", and "it is attempting to restart society". These further support the point of rebirth. I really liked your analysis overall!
I have noticed that there are two different dystopian societies that are represented in film: one where citizens are unaware or unscathed by the society they live in and one where citizens recognize the corruption in their societies however are unable to change it. In Children of Men, everyone knows that the state they live in is twisted and corrupt however they do not have any power to change it and have lost the inner drive to attempt to change it. I believe that this film has offered the audience an interesting perspective on dystopian societies. Instead of social corruption arising out of corrupt thinking or behavior, it arises out of biological corruption. People's bodies are failing them and will not allow for the continuation of the human race. Like The Handmaid's Tale, women's inability to have children is what throws traditional social and political structure; however, it is how people react to this situation that turns these societies into dystopias. In The Handmaid's Tale, the solution was to impose strict social and biological roles. In Children of Men, there was no solution which then nearly led to complete anarchy. Instead of trying to address the problem of women's infertility, the world resorts to chaos. As people started to realize that there was not going to be a future for the human race, resistance faltered. Jasper pointed out that resistance is based on faith and as people began to lose their faith, resistance fell. What gives people faith is the promise of tomorrow. Children represent the possibilities of tomorrow because they are the ones who can change the future. At one point, Mariam says, "As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices". Children reminded people that innocence and the capacity to change still exist; without it, people lose the will to resist corruption because what's the point?
I wrote something very similar to this post, and agree with basically every point you have brought up. In my analysis, I agreed about that scene and how paradoxical it was. You bring up some of the questions that I do, and think it's quite perplexing to see. I still don't understand how the people in this film can value young life so much, yet not each others lives. There really is a lot of imagery for rebirth, like you say, but I believe it's for the society as a whole. I think it's a very good point, the purpose of the Human Project that you make. You say "it is also working towards the collaboration of humans to prepare for a prosperous future", and "it is attempting to restart society". These further support the point of rebirth. I really liked your analysis overall!
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