Do you find the ending of Children of Men to be hopeful or bleak? Give three very specific pieces of evidence, with time codes, from the film that lead you to find either hopefulness or hopelessness in the ending.
Note, failure to use accurate time codes (e.g. 1:22:43) will mean no credit for this post!
I found the ending to be somewhat hopeful mainly because, as far as the viewers were concerned, Kee and her daughter, Dylan, survived and were able to escape safely. Kee and Dylan were the characters in this film who represented hope for humanity or at least hope for the future. However, even with what these characters represent, greed and violence still prevailed throughout the movie even after people would encounter a pregnant Kee and then later, Kee and Dylan.
One of the first examples of Kee’s significance as a symbol of hope to others in the film is Theo’s reaction after she reveals to him that she is pregnant (36:21). The initial reluctance that he had in participating in the mission to transport Kee to the Human Project goes away. Kee also represents hope for the future to the Fishes, the group that is planning to get her to the Human Project. A key difference of how the Fishes perceive Kee as a representation of hope versus Theo’s perception of her as hope is that the Fishes are willing to use her and her child as an actual symbol to be used to further their agenda. This demonstrates the greed that prevails within the characters of the film despite the hope that Kee represents.
Another moment in the film where hope is overshadowed by greed or violence occurs a few scenes after Jasper shares the news that they were able to get a boat to help Kee get to the Human Project (52:24). The happiness and hopeful moments that occur between the small group in Jasper’s home is quickly forgotten when the Fishes can locate them, forcing Kee, Theo, and the midwife to escape and leave Jasper and his wife behind. The Fishes kill Jasper when he refuses to cooperate, an event that Theo witnesses.
A final moment in the film where a hopeful moment is once again overshadowed by violent actions occurs after the temporary ceasefire that occurs between the soldiers and the Fishes when they see Kee and her baby (1:32:42). The sight of Kee and her child is enough to bring the soldiers and the Fishes to a ceasefire, but only for a moment before they began firing again. While Kee and Dylan are figures important enough for the two groups to briefly stop fighting, the group’s hatred for one another overshadows the importance of Kee.
These three instances in the film highlighted the value that Kee and Dyan have to others due to what they represent. However, even with the hopeful moments depicted in the film, moments of despair or hopelessness follow shortly after. This ends up diminishing any kind of hope that these scenes try to create.
