Dystopias

Last Friday, I saw "Children of Men," a grim but thrilling picture by Alfonso Cuarón and starring Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, and Michael Caine in three magnificent roles. The film, based on a book by P.D. James, ponders the notion of a society bereft of children. It is a near-future dystopia set in London in 2027, in a world where "only Britain soldiers on." The norms of democracy have eroded, a security state has emerged, immigrants are hunted and held in camps, and innocent civilians are being bombed as they get their morning coffees.

As far as an adaptation, I can't say how good this movie is. I haven't read the book, though I intend to now. As far as a film that stands on its own merits, it's outstanding. Like any good speculative fiction, "Children of Men" is intended to be a reflection on today's world. One of the gifts of the science fiction genre is that the visions of a future or an alternate reality estrange us, the viewers or readers, from our own world and our own modes of living. In this estrangement, we can perceive possibilities or even realities that we otherwise might not have noticed. Good (or bad) science fiction or fantasy for that matter is almost always political. Sometimes the messages can be overbearing or preachy. Other times, the author or filmmaker finds that perfect note, conveying a brilliant and compelling message in a manner that is subtle and respectful of the viewer's intellect.

In "Children of Men," Cuarón did a remarkable job of treading that fine line and striking, in the end, a perfect note. I should say that, after seeing it on Friday, I wasn't sure if I liked it. It's relentless and bleak. The visuals are intense and Cuarón confronted the tragedy of war in a way that recalled images from the past few years. Clearly, his palette drew from the post-9/11 worldview that gripped America and Britain. My initial adverse reaction to the film was due to the proximity and veracity of the events Cuarón portrayed. But I suppose that was the point. It wasn't until Saturday that I realized how great the film was: it left me thinking and pondering all weekend. "Children of Men" is a film that poses challenging questions, many of which are unanswered. Unlike many big-budget science fiction or fantasy tales, the futurism is in service to the story, so it blends into the background in a way that is plausible and interesting. Indeed, the technology imagined in the film only serves to remind us that some aspects of humanity are timeless.

Dystopian fiction is compelling to me, and I don't know why. From my childhood, I was facinated with the radio show and movie, "War of the Worlds." I found the threat of natural disasters and nuclear war to be frightening, but somehow intriguing. I derived some enjoyment (and still do) from imagining an event that could so radically alter the form of my life. As I got older, I realized that the dystopia genre is a powerful tool to explore political conditions. I've amassed quite a collection. Feminism and the dignity of women are themes touched upon by Sheri Teper ("The Gate to Women's Country"), Margaret Atwood ("The Handmaid's Tale"), and Octavia Butler ("Parable of the Sower" and "Parable of the Talents "). Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a great book called "The Left Hand of Darkness" pondering the concepts of cold war and gender identity. Ray Bradbury wrote "Fahrenheit 451" about a world in which books were banned, and what life in such a world might entail. There is a whole sub-genre of science fiction called military science fiction and most of these are dystopian as well, including the great new TV show, Battlestar Galactica. Robert A. Heinlein penned "Starship Troopers" and Joe Haldeman wrote "The Forever War." These books stand out as strong allegories of war, especially America's wars in the 20th Century. One of the most interesting books of this type I've ever read is "Arslan" by M.J. Engh, dealing with America's downfall at the hands of a third-rate central Asian dictator

Is it just me, or do the British have a particular taste for dystopia? "Children of Men" was set in London in 2027, just on the heels of "V for Vendetta," another near-future British dystopia. Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and Huxley's "Brave New World" were also British. I also vividly remember from last year "Smallpox," A British mock documentary that tells of a smallpox epidemic that sweeps the world. Am I sensing a theme? Is there something in the British psyche that makes them unusually prone to fearsome and emiserating visions of the future?