Friday, 7 December 2012

Children of Men Characters

Theo Faron.
- Protagonist of the film
- Theo is met by terrorist group
- He has lost all hope for human kind until he becomes the unexpected guardian of Kee
- When he finds out the activists intend to kill Kee and use her baby as a weapon he becomes her protector
- He goes from a man who goes through his life ignoring all around him to being a hero and a protector
- Theo dies in the final scene after getting Kee safely into the rowboat

Jasper.
- Jasper is an old friend of the protagonist Theo
- He makes many references to Theos past, showing the strength in their relationship
- Is the reminiscent of the old 1960s hippies, despite the dreary future for human kind he keeps optimistic and happy 
- Lives with his disabled wife in an isolated house in a forest
- Shows Jasper doesn't want to be part of the modern civilisation
- Grows marijuana, shows again that he dislikes conformity
- Dies whilst helping Theo and Kee to escape

Kee.
- Only woman to become pregnant in the last 18 years
- She follows Theo as the second main character
- She represents the hope of the earth
- We follow her pregnancy and the birth of her child
- She moves the story future as once we meet Kee we desire for her to be kept safe and protected
- She is a symbol for the whole of humanity in the film
- Film ends with her floating into the fog alongside a dead Theo in the rowboat
Julian Taylor.
- Leader of activist group 'The Fishes'
- Ex-wife of Theo
- Entrusts Theo with Kee and sets him on his journey

Luke.
- Co-leader of The Fishes
- Dislikes the governments branding of The Fishes as a terrorist organization so stages the death of Julian
- Plans to use Kee as a tool for his own goals

Miriam.
- A member of The Fishes
- Is the comforter and carer of Kee
- Gives her own life so that Kee and the baby will be safe

Syd.
- Is an old friend of Jaspers and a soldier at the Bexhill Refugee Camp
- He has no allegiance to anybody and acts purely on his own will
- Is a dangerous character

Marikha.
- A gypsy woman from the refugee camp
- Speaks no English
- Is introduced to Theo and Kee by Syd
- Becomes their guardian and guide through the refugee camp
- Is reliable and helps Theo and Kee survive





Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Children of Men, Key Messages and Ideas. Mindmap and Moodboard.

Children of Men.
Key Messages and Ideas.

-The film gives the messages of hope and faith, through the way some hold out belief for 'The Human Project' which is that one day the humans will reproduce again
-The ideas behind this are that the people are being punished by a divine being, or the way they have destroyed and changed their world has dmaged them so they are no longer able to reproduce
-It gives the idea that this infertility is their own doing and their own fault
-This gives the film a message of punishment, that they are being punished for what they have done


-The gives messages of fear/oppression and what happens when these are at their extremes
-The way the refugees are "hunted down like cockroaches" shows a link to almost the holocaust
-It shows that people will always resort back to treating others unequally if they think it helps what they believe in
-This also gives the film a very anti-government message, as the people no longer agree with the governments ideals
-It also gives the idea that humans always need somebody else to blame other than ourselves, this is shown in the disgusting treatment of the refugees in the film. It shows that the governments almost make them scape goats so that the people of Britain have someone to blame other than themselves

-The film touches on messages of religion, the journey of theo and 
Kee can be linked to a modern day Mary and Joseph
-Their journey shows a future struggle to try and bring a 'saviour child' into the world
-The child is the first bit of hope for 19 years much like Jesus was hope for everybody when he died for our sins
-When me and her baby are discovered by others they respond with "Jesus Christ" and the sign of the cross this shows that they are eager for someone to believe in and that they see the baby as they saviour.

Key Scenes.
-The scene at the end where Theo and Kee are moving through the refugee camp and all fighting stops and people bow out the way to let them past. Shows that all are united in hope for the future.
-To demonstrate fear and oppression I have chosen the scene where the refugees are in cages at the train station, all the people on the platform walk past them without so much as a glance showing that it is what they are accustomed too and no longer shocks them. The fact an old women is begging and being ignored shows the oppression as the government have no care for anybody other than their own people at all. 
-There is a strong idea and belief on the corruption of dreams, this is sown in the scene where Theo arrives at the house and first meets Kee. He discovers that the activists intend to steal the baby and kill Kee once it is born to use it as a weapon. This shows that although they are glad for the arrival of the baby they want to use it for a personal gain as it is a bargaining tool that nobody else in the world possesses.