The Lasting Message - Wrote this for my English class

Rating: 10/10 (16 February 2007)

It is the year 2027. Women have been infertile for a generation, and the world has fallen into chaos. Britain, the only remotely stable country remaining, is plagued by terrorist attacks and internal strife. Enter Theo, a former political activist who has given up his rebellious ways for a dismal, bureaucratic job. He is coerced by his former lover into helping a refugee, Kee, escape the country. Kee would otherwise be forced into a labor camp  reminiscent of those used by Nazis  like all other refugees. But Kee must be saved from imprisonment, because she has a secret. She is pregnant.
This is Children of Men, a film utterly depressing in its view of things to come. The sky is almost perpetually grey and human rights are crushed under government oppression. The film is shot with Theo in every frame, giving the audience an intimate view of the decaying world and how it affects him. This perspective particularly reveals that in such misery, there is still a ray of hope for mankind, and it lies in Kee's womb.
The central theme of Children of Men is debatable. Is it a political film criticizing current world affairs, likening modern government philosophy to Orwellian totalitarianism, or is it a story of humanity? The political viewer finds support for his opinion in the very first scene. Theo ducks behind a newspaper stand as the coffee shop he just left explodes. It is easily mistakable for the many bombings that occur on civilian targets in the Middle East. The political undertone of the situation: the government planted the bomb in the coffee shop.
To defend a political interpretation, one might recall a television ad Theo sees. It hails Britain as the last bastion of freedom in the world and orders all loyal citizens to report refugees so they may be sent to labor camps; the ad bears an uncanny resemblance to the nationalist, pro-war bulletins broadcast on American news networks. One might notice the powerful symbolism evident as Theo walks into the entrance of the labor camp under the sign "Homeland Security." One might remark that the rebels marching through the ruined streets of the labor camp firing guns into the air parallels the current situation in the Middle East, where men calling for change also take to decrepit streets with revolution on their minds and weapons in their hands. Theo's friend and confidante, with whom he shares his most secret thoughts, is a former political cartoonist whose every comment insinuates dislike of the government. And, in perhaps the least veiled criticism of all, the government and those with political aspirations are the antagonists.
However, there is something to be said for the fact that the most memorable images in Children of Men are not of political symbolism, but of simple displays of humanity. Audiences are speechless with wonder as they watch Theo deliver Kee's baby in a crumbling apartment. The shouts echoing from the streets disappear, there is a deep silence, and then Kee's baby begins to cry. Such a simple human thing, the first breath of a child, is magical in this film.
Later, Theo and Kee are separated in a standoff between militants and British soldiers. As Theo runs through the tenement looking for Kee and her child, artillery shells destroy the building around him. Refugees fall to the ground as they are hit by bullets streaming through broken walls, yet Theo sees none of this; he hears none of this; he is oblivious to the death surrounding him. All he hears is the sound of Kee's baby crying.
In what is the most emotional moment of the entire film, Theo and Kee emerge from the tenement. They are unarmed, and Kee carries the baby as they face hundreds of armed soldiers. Yet these men, ruthless and trained to kill, are rendered speechless by the noise they hear: the cry of an infant. They lower their weapons in disbelief. Some fall to their knees and pray. It is a scene both terrible and beautiful  on a battlefield where so many have died, everything is silenced by Kee's baby.
Yes, it can be argued that Children of Men is political, however it would be an insult to the film to brand its legacy with something as transient as politics. It has a timeless message, one that transcends any political situation. This is especially clear when Theo and Kee emerge from the tenement. Soldier and refugee forget their differences. They are the same under the spell of the infant's cry  they are human. This, if anything, reveals the film's ultimate point: humanity conquers all differences.