Children of Men analysis

Film Analysis – Children of Men (2006)

‘Children of Men’ is a thriller movie based on a refugee who is pregnant in a world that was now thought to be infertile, and the journey that she takes to get to ‘the human project’ where she will be safe.

The target audience for this movie is people from their late teens to middle-aged adults. This is shown mainly from the rating of the film (15), as well as the themes covered and the ages of the characters themselves. I think that the age rating of this movie is suitable, as it covers some topics that younger people may find hard to watch (such as murder), and I also think that younger audiences would find the storyline hard to understand.

The structure of ‘Children of Men’ is a linear narrative, running in chronological order. This means that the audience finds out what happens as it happens, and they don’t know what to expect, as they haven’t seen clips from the past or future. I think this structure works well in this thriller movie, as it means that the audience don’t know how all the different characters will react to the newborn baby, and they don’t know the outcome until the very end, which builds the suspense.

From looking at this thriller movie and comparing it to others, I have found that they share several codes and conventions. These include themes such as isolation, and contain elements such as vulnerable characters. Many also involve some sort of a deadline that the characters have, which they have to stick to, to survive. This movie contains many of these codes and conventions, and the idea of an infertile world gives it a unique selling point.

I am going to look at the section of this movie where the male lead rescues the woman who has just had her baby, and has to lead her through all of the fighting and shooting.

Mise-en-scene has been considered in this section. The setting is a run down block of rooms that have been blown apart in places from the fighting. Many dark colours are used, such as greys and browns, which represents the unhappiness of the world without children. The clothes that the characters wear have also been considered, as they are also dull and worn. All of these aspects have helped to make the scene more realistic, and the contrast of the reactions to the baby and all of the violence also makes this scene emotive.

Several different camera angles are used in this section. Close-ups show the audience the emotions on the characters faces, and long shots are used to establish the setting. A point of view shot is also used (similar to ‘Adrift’), looking down the corridors and stairs at all of the people, who stop fighting for just one moment, to let the baby through.

The editing pace changes throughout this section, with a fast editing pace during the fighting and shooting, and a contrast of a slower editing pace when people see the newborn baby. This is effective as it shows the contrast between the two things; the violence, and the ‘miracle’ baby, which is emotive for the audience.

The lighting in this section is low key, which seems to be a convention of thriller movies. It makes the scene seem duller, showing that the world has lost hope, as they have turned to violence.

Sound in this section is mainly diegetic, with dialogue, bombs and shooting, and the sound of the baby crying, which sets the violent tone. However, non-diegetic music starts as the people stop fighting, and step aside for the baby. The music is mainly of voices with string instruments in the background. This is used to show how the attitudes of the people fighting change as they see the baby.

This movie is fairly recent, so it reflects the attitudes and worries of this time, although it is set in the future. One way that it does this is with the idea of an infertile world, as people are worried that the medicines and chemicals that we use, along with global warming, could have a negative effect on the world and humans.

Overall, I think that this movie contains many of the codes and conventions associated with the thriller genre, as well as including its own unique selling point.

Jodi Ferguson.