Children of Men
Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men is not only my favorite road movie, but may also be the most thematically rich motion picture of the past several years. One of the film's central topics is the dubious displacement of culture--this thrust is pervasively emphasized by its (often overlooked) adherence to the conventions of the traditional road movie. In the most basic sense, the film reflects on both escape and self-discovery as springboard motivations for the bureaucratic protagonist Theo Faron, who embarks on an extensive and tragic journey through the distraught wasteland of 2027 England toward what could very well amount to be an utterly illusory salvation for the human race (to find a cure for women's infertility). The political backdrop concerning the rights of foreign refugees, the futile collection of world art removed from any possibility of historic appreciation, and even the recurring animal and shoe motifs all contribute to Children of Men's meticulously detailed and coherent atmosphere of a world subverted by and dependent on the roles of one's predecessors and one's descendants; an elaborate conflict between the obligation to acknowledge one's roots/primal call and the inevitable desire for movement/progress.
After each of the film's explosively violent incidents, the soundtrack mimics the experience of one's ear's ringing. At one point, the character Julian tells Theo that this is "the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone you'll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts." Fittingly, Julian's ally in the fight for immigration reform, Miriam, comments later in the film: "As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices." Furthermore, the looming promotional presence of "Quietus" suicide kids implies a widespread demand for, literally, silencing oneself. Perhaps the cause of infertility that the film is unwilling to explain is a metaphorical lack of compassion/communication between humans. How can anyone love each other, let alone procreate, when indifference and violence destroys the most essential of human connections? That is, the ability to listen.
Note: This scene contains strong violence, language, and spoilers.