Children of Men

“Children of Men” directed by Alfonso Cuarón, takes place in a dystopian world where woman have become infertile. The world set in the year 2027 and after the youngest person on the planet is killed, the world turns to chaos as humanity becomes on the brink of extinction. Our story takes place in London, a police state and also the last country that hasn’t fallen completely to ruins. London is heavily monitored with surveillance as it keeps its borders closed from anyone trying to enter the country. Those that enter illegally are locked up based on London’s “Homeland Security” Act. With sterility already being an epidemic, there is also an internal war between the government and guerilla forces that support illegal immigrants. Immigrants are used as scapegoats as to why there is sterility in the world. Fortunately, the group of rebels who support these immigrants, take it upon themselves to fight the system. Monica Martin states how government controlled media incite a “permanent state of alert” into society. Illegal immigrants are being blamed but media propaganda alert civilians how illegal immigrants are the cause of the epidemic, not the solution. Our unlikely hero, Theo, is in fear when London starts rioting after the death of the world’s youngest person. He is captured by a rebel group called “The Fishes” where he also meets his former lover and leader of the group, Julian Taylor. The plan is to smuggle a pregnant woman called Kee out of the country, as she remains the last hope humanity has to offer. Overall, the movie was surprisingly good. I would never have thought a dystopian world would be based off of sterility. Although Theo dies tragically in the process to save humanity, the viewer can be left thinking whether his sacrifice was for a noble cause. Will humanity still survive on the hopes that Kee will be safe from harms way?

“Children of Men” shows an interesting side what government does to protect its people. By blaming the innocent immigrants and keeping everyone controlled, they could have been able to find a solution as to why woman were infertile through Kee. I have never seen a dystopian film like this before and I absolutely loved it. What’s also interesting is the title, “Children of Men” which is derived from the Old Testament that means human frailty. Overall “Children of Men” stood as a significant film to watch because it shows how serious sterility is. If women were to become infertile, mankind would become extinct. 

The Hunger Games

“The Hunger Games” directed by Gary Ross and based on the best selling series by Suzanne Collins, is a dystopian world that is divided into 13 districts. Set in the totalitarian world of Panem, the people are governed by the Capitol, a well off city that cares less about its districts living in squalor. Every year, the Capitol hosts the “Hunger Games” where two members from each district are selected to fight in a death match arena until one person remains standing. The victor will then have their place in the Capitol where they can reap the benefits of the elite. Our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers as tribute when her sister is picked to fight in the games. Peeta Mellark, another member, is selected and the two head off into the capitol where they are guided by personal trainers on how to survive the games. Katniss and Peeta learn by working together, they can survive the games. Their perilous journey and hardships together create a bond between the two and they defy the Capitol by threatening to kill themselves instead of killing each other.