Children of Men

Last night i watched the film children of men and realised just how much of an influence sound and especially mise-en-scene can have upon a film. As a movie based in 2027, no human in the world is able to reproduce and illegal immigrants within England are either killed, deported or stuffed into refuge camps. The main character Theo helps his ex-girlfriend get a pregnant girl across the country to a save haven where she can give birth to her child and hopefully present the world with a new hope for life.
Set in London and large areas of countryside the grey, smokey and crumbling setting around Theo  other characters reflects the pain, suffering, despair and loss of hope as people feel as if they have nothing to work towards and the undeveloped city around Theo reflects exactly why they have nothing to work towards as the city looks as if it is progressing in no way whatsoever. Within the first few minutes a terrorist bombing attack takes place in a cafe that Theo visited only a moment ago full of saddened and hopeless people as the youngest person in the world is murdered.

The mise-en-scene is dirty and all adults appear empty and depressed as being the last generation makes life seem pointless to them. The happiness and fun of younger adults and children is vacant and the whole world is corrupt with terrorism and a loss of order. The film is extremely engaging and the cutting of sound and the intensity of the scene where the baby is carried through a group of soldiers is my favorite as it has a huge impact as the audience feels and senses the hope and happiness that the characters in the movie would have felt as they realise that there is a new chance at life and that something as simple as a baby can create peace and unification of the world