Children of Men

There are many dystopian films and movies, and all of them portray a different, bleak future. I would argue that Children of Men presents one of the most unhappy visions of the future because of the eventual demise everyone knows is upon them. They also know that there is nothing anyone, even the people in power, can do about this situation. Even in an apocalyptic situation, as long as the human race can reproduce, there is some sort of hope because the buildings can be rebuilt and hope can be regained.

I think the premise of our current environmental state causing these issues that we sometimes take for granted provides an important perspective on what might happen at any time if we continue to change and abuse our living conditions. Because our population is rapidly expanding and we have inhabited almost every part of the earth, we do not think about infertility being an immediate or pressing issue. In fact, we ourselves create permanent and temporary infertility as a form of birth control. To set this movie so close to our current era makes these worries much more real

The unification of the army and the rebels in the refugee camp when everyone found out about the baby was a very inspiring. Everyone set aside their weapons and was respectful and in awe as the baby, Theo, and Kee made their way to safety. All of the turmoil and anger and hatred was put on hold for one ephemeral moment, and then the fighting continued. I think this says a lot about the human condition than it seems. This infertility problem had been going on for so long that it became more about people's vested interest in their side of the fight than about the actual solution. Yes, people stopped and stared, but they were so scared and worn down and out of hope that no one actually helped. In the end, with the future of the world in her arms, Kee was still refused help by people who were waging war on the issue she was fixing.

As in V for Vendetta, there are many hidden parallels to modern-day issues. There are many people worrying about whether scientists should 'play God' and delve too much into genetic experiments and expose people to so many radioactive materials. Pollution could have also been a cause for the infertility in Children of Men, and we all know that there are more toxins in our food, air, and water than any time in history other than the Industrial Revolution. However, the most terrifying and well hidden comparison is that of the refugee camps to Abu Ghraib, a torture facility in Iraq which was used to 'prepare Iraqis for interrogation'. The methods were not specified, and many human rights abuses were committed there by US soldiers. Many of the scenes in Children of Men mirrored footage from inside Abu Ghraib, such as people with bags over their faces, in various states of undress, and being forced to stay in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time. The general distress and the treatment of the refugees by the guards, who considered the fugees as less than human, reflected the treatment of suspected Iraqi criminals by treating and referring to them as dogs.

The shaky camera movements, the blood on the film, the panicked change of perspective during the penultimate scene conveyed the terror and confusion that was present in the fighting between the army and the Fishes. The colour scheme of a bleak gray and the dirty, grimy setting that is common in dystopian movies paints a vivid picture of the dark mindset and lifestyle that the residents are living in. When this setting is conflicted with the pristine high life one of Theo's friends lives in, it emphasizes the general disarray of the rest of the world.

I liked the optimism at the end, but I do realize that it came as a price. There were sacrifices made in the name of progress, and one of them was Theo's life. He helped save the human race from ruin, which is more than anyone could have imagined. Although he did not survive to see fertility completely restored, he can rest knowing he made a huge contribution.

Children of Men was an excellent movie, artfully displaying an alternate future that, for all we know, could be a very near reality. The realism mixed with the very specific, sacrificing brand of hope that it portrays makes for a bittersweet but very engaging film.

V for Vendetta

 'Ideas are bulletproof,' proclaims V, the protagonist of the 2006 dystopian film V for Vendetta. His bulletproof vest; however, did not stand up as well to guns. 

                500 years before the oppressed, fearful Britain represented in the film, Guy Fawkes planned to blow up the English parliament under the rule of King James. It was the fifth of November. In 2100, in the same time and place, the masked V blows up the justice building to the tune of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

                Evey Hammond, daughter of activist parents, gets caught up with V and his anti-government actions. In a staged arrest, Evey is tortured and imprisoned. When she learns to be fearless, she is released and finds out that V was behind her suffering.

Evey is given the choice to blow up the parliament building with the train of dynamite V has gifted to her.  She decides, because of her new fearless personality, to go through with the bombing. All of the characters in the film were present to see the bombing (and the fireworks display) to the tune of the same overture heard at the beginning of the movie. The last scene is a symbol of the unity and hope that the society has after the destruction of their oppressive government.

                It is easy to identify the visual parallels between communist party leaders and dictators of our past and the High Chancellor of future Great Britain. His Hitler-like rallies, his picture on every wall in the style of Kim Jong-Il, his Stalinist hate for everything American. Judging Chancellor Sutler based on events of history is no difficult feat. Noticing the similarities between our current world state and this faraway dystopian society is much more difficult. All of the clues are in front of us. The persecution of homosexuals, the disdain for Muslim people, the fear of terrorism, biological warfare, neverending wars, these are all issues we face in the world at this very moment, but it is difficult to come to terms with the fact that Hollywood represented life accurately. More scary, in fact, is the realization that the beaten down, oppressed, fearful climate in the V for Vendetta society is one that bloomed out of the fear and confusion of the present. One of the sensational news headlines on the 'news' network reported ongoing civil wars in the United States of America. This is believable, considering the amount of unrest and the amount of polarized, sensationalist opinions that exist in the USA.

                V, the protagonist, is a very mutifaceted character. Despite his anonymity and secretive nature, he is more than just an anti-government terrorist trying to shake up the daily routine. He was very human despite his violent actions, and displayed great affection towards Evey. He was empathetic and intelligent and realized the true state of his country at a time where people were too afraid to even think about rebellion. V ignited the spark in the population that had been missing for as long as they were under this oppressive dictatorial regime, and in doing so he unified the struggle for acceptance.

I think the film was trying to inspire hope and free-thinking in people. We spend most of our day following somewhat arbitrary rules that are put in place by the government, and we are much to complacent about the restrictions put on media and the way that the government uses propaganda to direct our attention to certain areas. This is all while societal issues bubble underneath the surface that the government may want to keep quiet for their own personal reasons. At some points in the movie, it was very peaceful and everyone was accepting their fate for the choices they had made. However, at other times V for Vendetta inspired strong negative feelings in the watcher. One scene that stood out as completely unjust was when Evey was imprisoned in the completely crafted jail and tortured so she would become fearless. The injustices that she suffered and the fact that this is even an option due to the world V for Vendetta takes place in makes the viewer insatiably angry, but with no real person to direct their anger at.

                The colours used in this film (mainly red and black) signified the very dark and angry mood of the film. The lighting used (or lack thereof) is very skillful, hiding everything in darkness on screen matched the secrecy of the government and the need for ordinary, upstanding citizens to keep up appearances in order to stay alive or to defer suspicion. For example, the tv producer had to invite young women to his house in order to keep up the appearance of heterosexuality, which was the only acceptable sexual orientation. He also hid many works of art and religious texts that would be considered treasonous if the government found out that he possessed them. The majestic music played during the destruction of the government buildings in the beginning and the end of the movie objectively seems conflicting, but once the viewer understands what the buildings stand for and what kind of response is unavoidable with their downfall, the triumphant soundtrack makes a lot more sense.

                This film is very well made and is one of my favourite movies. I enjoy it because of the excellent acting, the wonderful music, and the meaningful message of hope and revolution that permeates every scene and represents itself in powerful symbols and ideas that, as V argued in one of the most climactic scenes of the film, are bulletproof and immortal.