The Speculist

Went to see Children of Men this afternoon. It was better than I expected it to be. I guess I was expecting some kind of rehash of The Handmaid's Tale with a little Blade Runner and Soylent Green thrown in. And, now that I set it out that way, I guess that is pretty much what the movie delivered.

I don't have a lot of time for dystopias. I think the future we're in for will be much more discontinuous from the present than most dystopic images of the future allow. Nor do I think that optimistic portrayals of the future (e.g., Star Trek) come particularly close, either. My take is as follows: if it's good, the future will be great beyond imagining. If bad, it will mean that there's no movie to be made -- at least not one with human characters -- because we won't have lived to see it.

[Spoilers ahead.]

Although not a plausible one, the future that COM portrays is one in which humanity is up against total elimination. Women have stopped conceiving -- no explanation is given as to how this happened -- and the species is dying out. This has apparently caused tremendous political upheaval. The story takes place in the UK in 2027, and the UK is a total mess. But apparently, it's in better shape than most other countries (there's an offhand reference to the "siege of Seattle" entering it's 800th day.)

So even with what must be a rapidly dwindling population, the British government is dealing with an enormous illegal immigration problem. Or are they? They government has adopted the brutal practices of a 20th-century police state in handling illegal immigrants. The ubiquitous propaganda about how it's everyone's responsibility to turn in illegals raises the question of whether there is really a resource (or other) problem at all. How are these people a threat, exactly? It is suggested that brutalizing the "fujis" (I think it's short for "fugitives" or "refugees") is just a huge distraction in the face of the imminent end of civilization.

I haven't read the book, but based on the synopsis of it provided here, it sounds like the "illegal immigration" and "homeland security" aspects of the story were introduced in order to draw parallels to current political controversies, and possibly to suggest that we currently live in a police state in the US. Okay, then. Whatever.

But in spite of the implausible premise and heavy-handed political crapola, it's a compelling story. A cell of a radical group opposed to the government immigration policy has somehow stumbled upon the world's first pregnant woman in 20 years. Clive Owen has the task of trying to get her to the coast, where she may be retrieved by a mysterious group called The Human Foundation, who (if they actually do exist) are a band of scientists working on solving the problem of impending human extinction. It's a harrowing journey, involving a good deal of suspense, at least one truly inventive chase, and some combat scenes reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan.

What makes the movie worthwhile for me is a scene near the end, where utter chaos and brutality give way, just for a moment, to respect -- if not awe -- for human life. In a similar scenario in our world, they probably wouldn't give way: not even for one second. But I was ready to believe that in that particular future, they would.

It's a reminder that, in our world and in whatever future we may experience, life is something to be valued, to be esteemed, to be in awe of. And that is a pretty good thing to be reminded of.