Children of Men
Yesterday I saw Children of Men. Excellent film; nothing in there that didn’t need to be. Very little expository dialog, which is generally what makes a film watchable for me. There are few cinematic devices I find more grating than when a character launches into a 500 word explanation of the film’s context. If you were waiting in line for coffee, and you expressed your disdain for chain coffee shops such as Starbucks, wouldn’t you be a bit surprised if someone in line felt the need to explaining the history of Starbucks; how it started off as a small coffee shop with lofty ideals, but as its pockets swoll from success, it slowly changed, stopped caring about the people, began screwing over growers and now sells inferior coffee to child slaves in Guatemala?
No shit! I know the history, that’s why I was complaining in the first place. Hence, this sort of dialog between characters in a drama really gets my goat. Films should show, not tell. Otherwise, I might as well be listening to the radio.
I think Children of Men really excelled in this aspect, largely from its set design. The early scenes in the streets of London were well choreographed panoramas of the setting, swooping through groups of religious gatherings, PSAs for the reporting of immigrants and creating tension between a very familiar looking future and a dystopian vision. Bravo to the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Alfonso Cuarón. COM is the heir apparent to Blade Runner’s throne as the Film that Captures the Pathos of Our Times.
On a completely different note, one thing that really struck me though, were the previews. Three straight DC/national security/terrorism/God Save America pieces. I was in shock. Is there anyway to find out how much government money goes into the film business to produce these kinds of films? Talk about propaganda. Actually, you can’t even call it propaganda because the source isn’t apparent. This is programming.
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