Alfonso Cuaron's Children Of Men

Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men effectively creates and examines a dystopian world set in the startlingly near future. The film achieves this creation and examination of the world through exceptional camerawork, lighting and mise-en-scène, and sound. Through these formal elements of filmmaking, the world of the film is constructed in immense detail. Cuaron’s Children of Men is a film I enjoyed immensely because of its exquisite use of formal elements, which effectively created meaning and supported the narrative of the film. Camerawork is integral to the success of Children of Men. Cuaron frequently uses long takes and tracking shots, which opens the world of the film to the viewer. Throughout the film, details about the world and the narrative

Darker colors, especially the color gray, permeate the mise-en-scène. For example, the beginning of the film takes place in London, where the city and sky appear dirty and gray. However, when Theo leaves London earlier in the film, the lighting becomes brighter and more natural. Even this light, which seemed to offer some relief to Theo, becomes gray after the death of Julian. Gray is used to highlight the struggles of the characters, and the film does this effectively. However, the film also uses lighting to communicate more positive emotions. For example, when Kee gives birth, there is a single lamp on the floor in the room. The signified meaning of this object is a feeling of hope for an end to the infertility crisis. Cuaron uses lighting very effectively in Children of Men to signify the emotions of characters and set the tone of the world

The sound is mostly diegetic and relies on sound effects to create an aural landscape. This is effective because when this style of sound is supplemented with the camerawork Cuaron uses, the scene expands beyond the boundaries of the frame, and the viewer is placed in the world of the film. For example, in the opening scene, the diegetic sound of the television is heard in the café and subdued city sounds are heard outside, which opens the world to the viewer beyond the café. When Theo walks outside, the city sounds become louder, as they would if the viewer was following Theo’s movements. These sounds become constant and a part of the scene, which makes the explosion, which occurs moments later, jarring, not only because it is a sudden addition to the constant city sounds, but also because the explosion has a much higher volume. In addition to sound effects, the score is also a key component of the sound of Children of Men. The score of the film is used to highlight emotions in certain scenes, although it is used sparingly. The slight usage of the score and a focus on diegetic sound effects places the viewer effectively into the experience of the characters as if they were experiencing these events themselves. However, the score serves a purpose as well. One of the key components of the score is the usage of human vocals. This creates a directly human presence in the score, which