Children of Men is a British-American movie that came out in 2006. In brief, it depicted a dystopian world in which humans have been unable to conceive for two decades. Unsurprisingly, this has caused widespread societal collapse, which in turn, has resulted in refugees flooding the last stable countries such as Great Britain. It is in this scenario that a cynical bureaucrat must cooperate with a retired midwife to see the first pregnant mother in two decades to a scientific group seeking to cure human infertility.
At the time of its release, Children of Men was not particularly successful. In fact, it was such a bad flop that there was a real question of whether its director would ever have the chance to direct another feature film ever again, though it turned out that he had at least one more great film in him in the form of 2013’s Gravity. However, it is interesting to note that Children of Men has returned to the public conversation in recent times because of its seeming relevance for the present.
How Plausible Is Children of Men?
First and foremost, the scenario of species-wide infertility is implausible to say the least. In fact, there is a tacit acknowledgement from the movie, seeing as how it never bothered to explain the exact cause of the phenomenon in the movie. After all, it is not important, seeing as how it was just the setup needed for the scenario in which to narrate what is in a lot of ways, a retelling of the Nativity. Something that can be further seen in examples such as the male lead learning about the pregnancy in a barn as well as other people saying “Jesus Christ” upon learning the same.
However, the rest is plausible. In brief, societal collapse is the sort of thing that sends people fleeing into other regions in search of safety. However, refugees have often been ill-treated by the people already living in the regions to which they flee, whether because of fear or because of more material concerns. Whatever the case, ill treatment has been known to harden some refugees, thus prompting an even more fearful response from host societies in what is potentially a vicious cycle that can culminate in open conflict. It is not impossible for such issues to be overcome, but at the same time, it is not impossible for them to flare up into something much worse.
How Relevant Is Children of Men?
In recent times, Children of Men has become relevant because recent conflicts have resulted in refugees fleeing from their home countries for safety in developed countries in Europe and North America, which have raised tensions to various extents. So far, events in the real world have not even begun to approach the seriousness of the events in Children of Men, but it is not difficult to see the similarities. Furthermore, as the impacts of climate change become clearer and clearer, it seems possible that more and more refugees will be heading towards developed countries as their ways of life collapse with changed circumstances, which would have widespread consequences to say the least. However, it is important to remember that Children of Hope showed how the power of hope enabled people to work towards a better future in spite of their own personal weaknesses, which is something that we might have to take to heart should the worst come to pass.
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