Alfonso Cuaron's "Children of Men" (2006) is enjoying a renaissance not only for its aesthetic qualities, but also its prescience. In the 2000s, overpopulation was still being discussed, and immigration wasn't the major topic. A post-racial America was declared, but ultimately dismissed.
Taking place in 2027, "Children of Men" depicts refugees, fascism and domestic repression, a fertility crisis, Islam-as-rebellion, and a post-racial world in 2027, where one's place of birth is the great hierarchy.
In ArtiFact #66, filmmaker Alex Sheremet and critic Keith Jackewicz tackle Alfonso Cuaron and his artistic philosophy.
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 -- a looming post-racial hierarchy?
1:00 -- futurism in sci-fi; why a filmmaker must critique films; technical greatness vs. artistic greatness
2:51 -- Keith on social vs. artistic accomplishment; why Britain "survives"; aesthetic vs. artistic greatness; why Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" is the supreme example of sci-fi greatness; the realism of civil war in "Children of Men"
11:55 -- world-building vs. art; assessing the characters; Michael Caine is uncharacteristic as the hippie Jasper
16:16 -- why prescient art tends to be greater; the realistic assessments of technology in "Children of Men"; 1970s vibe to technology and militancy; cybernetics; by contrast, David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" fails; Barack Obama's "post-racial moment" was false, whereas here it seems to exist; class stratification; native-born vs. foreign-born; did Britain have anti-migrant talking points in the 2000s; missing Ethan Pinch
28:20 -- the use of keffiyehs, Islam, and Arab militancy in "Children of Men"; prefiguring Hamas; the film is more plot-driven than narrative-driven; the writing isn't very memorable, but there aren't many cliches either; one example of cliche-inversion; cliches vs. predictability
36:40 -- the use of religion & Christianity; although not subtle, the manger scene is better than expected; Theo & Jasper in conversation; "Children of Men" could have used more off-the-cuff conversation; Baby Diego as a "wanker"; creating a distinct world through difference
45:43 -- predicting infertility & the refugee crisis as the "serious" issues of today
50:04 -- great color grading in "Children of Men"; the use of handheld camera for subject/object transitions; purpose of blood drops on the lens; long shots in a way that isn't showy
56:14 -- assessing Alfonso Cuaron's aesthetic philosophy; film in search of narrative vs. narrative in search of film; doing one's own cinematography; what else "Children of Men" does well; Alex: everything is downstream of the written word, PERIOD; the Au Hasard Balthazar connection
Tags: #film #review #filmmaking
