Imagery of Alfonso Cuaron in Children of Men - Research Paper Example

Research ENG: Analysis of Alfonso Cuarons Imagery in Children Of Men and American Domestic and Foreign Policy Research ENG: Analysisof Alfonso Cuaron’s Imagery in Children Of Men and American Domestic And Foreign Policy Post 9/11 Director Alfonso Cuaron imagery in Children of Men resonates with post-9/11 viewers, which is also the main reason the film received critical praise. The following paper analyzes Alfonso Cuaron’s imagery in Children of Men in conjunction with American domestic and foreign policy post 9/11 with reference to the UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and violations witnessed in Abu Ghraib Prison and portrayed in the film. The film’s imagery implicitly argues the violation of human rights and the implementation of destructive domestic and international policies in a post-9/11 world. Children of Men and Current Domestic and Foreign Policies The sociopolitical setting of the movie is eerily current and accompanied by an equally bleak portrayal of environmental decay. This imagery may spark in the viewers’ minds the emerging scientific truths of climate change and the associated ecological ruin that will accompany it more and more. The decaying natural surroundings in the movie add to the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, evoking anxieties felt after 9/11. Cuaron uses images that recall online pictures of America’s occupation of Iraq and possibly illegal detention of enemy combatants of Guantanamo Bay and other detention camps (Bruce, n.d.). This depiction creates a vital part of the movie’s ethical stance. Three key parallels between scenes in Children Of Men and recent news footage function in Cuaron’s critique of domestic and foreign policy after 9/11. The parallels show the nature and impact of terror, the violence committed by governments in the name of national security, and love and goodwill as a suitable solution. Figure 1 Figure 2 In figure 1, lead character Theo Faron escapes a terrorist bomb detonation supposedly set off by “The Fishes.” “The Fishes” were a clandestine group that fights the inhumane treatment of refugees in Britain. Later in the film, this group of radicals claims that it was not responsible for the incident and diverts blame to the government (Bruce, n.d.). In figure 2, threats-consulting organization Maplecroft released statistics of the increasing risks of terror in select countries around the world. The countries, Iran, Pakistan, and Somalia, are riddled with extremist groups that orchestrate attacks similar to the one depicted in this photo. Children of Men, is full of images that tread an equally weighted line dividing the seeker and the sought, which are the victor and protector. The movie suits key pictures from contemporary art in its story of radicalism and infertility in one of the most poetically achieved futures. Extremists in Children of Men do not make the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights any easier for the people and government officers. Since terrorists consider their faith concrete knowledge, it becomes easy to justify any behavior or act irrespective of how terrifying it is. Luke does this and apparently, there is no threat to public order that justifies the government’s torture and murder actions (Bruce, n.d.). Knowing this still does not make Cuaron turn the film into a very futuristic spectacle because it reflects the current domestic and international policies in the United States enacted following the 9/11 attacks (Bruce, n.d.). Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 4 shows caged refugees and riot police working under government orders in an effort to ensure “national security” in the film. Above, a man mourns the death of a relative after the Egyptian militaries stormed protest camps full of supporters of overthrown President Mohamed Morsi. Several characters deny the validity of UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a future calamity. The message conveyed by this denial in dystopic films like Children Of Men is uncertain (Bruce, n.d.). It seems Cuaron intended to show viewers that important aspects of international agreements are still relevant in a post 9/11 world. In addition, the film attempts to demonstrate the consequences of violating UN’s 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Among the most crucial suggestions made by Kee is the neglect the national welfare and halting of the encouragement of monetary and military “overbreeding” by the government (Bruce, n.d.). Following this specter of military cruelty is the main characters bewilderment at the mention of Homeland Security (Bruce, n.d.). Cuaron implicitly uses his imagery to argue that future dystopic films cannot exceed any pictures of shocking cruelty that pop up in international media daily. Figure 5 Figure 6 Even though set in England, viewers can hardly miss the deliberate development of imagery evoking the latest domestic and international policies of the United States. For instance, when characters, Theo, Miriam, and Kee travel by bus to the Homeland Security Bexhill Refugee Camp, there is a set of images mirroring the 2003 torture photos of American soldiers abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib Prison. These images include intimidating German shepherds on short restraints, naked, clustered prisoners, and detained immigrants with forced black hoods on their heads to conceal identities, with some of them enduring electrocution. Children Of Men may be the classic post-9/11 movie for the blockbuster and thriller categories in spite of deviating from the host of modern action films in its special style and deliberate political propensities. Cuaron fully surrenders the subjection catharsis their level in the contemporary film’s market. The movie banishes public trauma that is based largely on conscious reevaluation and partially in comforting experiences. How Cuaron keeps on depicting large-scale destruction and the iconography of 9/11 is learned from these original, uncertain efforts. This way, viewers can figure out whether an entire race will constitute the new cinematic guide. Conclusion The film’s imagery shows the violation of human rights in the United States’ implementation of destructive domestic and international policies in a post-9/11 world. In Cuaron’s view, extremists and the United States are to blame equally for the current levels of violence. American soldiers at Abu Ghraib Prison see the United States’ contribution to continued hatred by extremists in the torture of Iraqi prisoners. Caron believes this idea so he mirrors it in the film. Without views vested in enlightenment values like universal human rights, cuaron implies the west’s war on terror and terrorism will be equally barbarous. In Cuaron’s view, characters like Jasper and Theo are the best hopes for humanity because they look back into a world at a time when first principles mattered. References Bruce, D. (N.d.). Children Of Men (2006). Visualhollywood.com. Retrieved from http://www.visualhollywood.com/movies/children-of-men/video.php Read More