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A world spinning in political chaos and pandemics. Food and necessities are scarce. Immigrants and refugees subjugated, separated, and hated. Humanity attempting to hang on to hope through technology and the numbing of senses ... and then a shock to the system comes in the form of a miracle."Children of Men" is tied for my favorite film of all time (alongside "Incendies"). The brilliance of the script adapted from British dame P.D. James' novel The Children of Men (one example, I think, of a film surpassing the book); the masterful direction by Mexican auteur Alfonso Cuarón; the seamless and stirring cinematography photographed almost entirely handheld with very little traditional film lighting by Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (i.e. "El Chivo"); the authentic and surprising performances by the multi-ethnic and multi-generational cast with strong work by Clare-Hope Ashitey, Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael Caine; the gorgeously haunting soundtrack with original compositions by John Tavener, including "Fragments of a Prayer," and "Mother and Child," perfectly synced with the scenes over which they play; the prophetic glimpse into our current conflicts and conceptions of human progress as written about in BBC's "Why Children of Men has never been as shocking as it is now" ... all of the above and more come together in an unforgettable piece of cinema that Vulture once wrote in a sharp and incisive article that it "might be the most relevant film of our dark new century" ("Children of Men" is also frequently included in lists for the 21st century's greatest films) ... And I can't help but reflect on it again during Advent (i.e. which means, "arrival" or "coming') when the world is searching for hope at the end of a tumultuous year. "I can't really remember the last time I had any hope. And I certainly can't remember when anyone else did either ... what's left to hope for?"
+ A fragment of Mary's Magnificat from Luke 1:54-55 during her own time of upheaval It's apropos that "Children of Men" came out on Christmas Day in 2006. To me, it was a profound revelation of the holy family in such a way that anyone I have talked to since has heard me say, "Here is the most powerful Nativity I've ever seen on film." Those many years ago, my young wife and I went to a classic old cinema house off Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on a dark winter's night to see it opening weekend, and when the lights went out in the theater, the room became pitch black in such a way that you could barely see the hand in front of you. This made all the ways this cinematic masterpiece shined that much more searing. The year is 2027 and humanity has stopped being able to reproduce. There is no explanation, but a culture of death (i.e. disease, war, xenophobia, misogyny, abortion, pollution, genocide) has finally reached an apex that creation's womb has died and grown cold. Yet no one wants to take responsibility. Everyone blame shifts, fights, kills, takes anti-depressants, and promotes (and commits) state-sanctioned suicide (i.e. Quietus) while creation rots around them. To turn away from the present, obsession with the young and the past is rampant as the film begins with the mourning of "Baby Diego," an 18-year-old idol who is killed, the youngest human being on earth. Enter Theo Faron (whose name means "God's beautiful servant"), a divorced man whose ex-wife, Julian, works for an activist-terrorist group called the "Fishes." She asks him to transport an illegal immigrant named Kee (for key or "chi" the first letter for Christ in Greek?) to the Human Project ship, Tomorrow, which will transport her to a safe location away from the death knell that is tearing the United Kingdom (a name made meaningless by the current events) apart. And then Theo discovers Kee is pregnant. Appropriately, the first words out of Theo's mouth when he witnesses the miracle are, "Jesus Christ!" Theo wants to spread this good news to everyone, but he is stifled by others' fears. What if the government found out that an illegal immigrant produced this miracle? The public shame and outcry would force the powers that be to wrestle control away (or perhaps even kill the mother and child). And it seems everyone has their hidden purposes to use Kee and the baby. Then all hell breaks loose. And perhaps, a shock of heaven, too.  The unfolding story could even sound like this:
The baby was miraculously born to an illegal immigrant teenage girl, Kee, before she was married to anyone. She didn't know when or how she got pregnant. A blue-collar worker, Theo, stood by her side once he discovered the news, exclaiming, "Jesus Christ!" Their station in life made them social outcasts. While Kee was still pregnant, they were forced to travel through disease-ridden communities to a town south of the capital city due to an unjust immigration law enforced by the ruling government (similar to Jerusalem and Bethlehem under the census tax of Caesar Augustus). Along their journey, they were helped by hippies (seen as dirty and untrustworthy like shepherds were in the Ancient Near East) and sheltered by Russian immigrants (seen as foreign and dangerous like the magi to Israelites under oppression during the Roman Empire). As political refugees who were wanted eradicated by the people in power in the capital city, Kee, Theo, and the baby embodied civil disobedience by not allowing the little one to be a part of the capital’s unjust power structures and schemes. Somehow, in the midst of a time that included proud, bombastic rulers, fearful people, and a violent and segregation-justifying state that propagated their way of peace for the world, an ethnic minority baby was born to a poor teenage mother in the middle of nowhere to bring good news of great joy for people from every ethnicity, class, and culture. And because of the baby Theo jumped and exclaimed "Jesus Christ!" in front of when he first saw Kee's pregnant belly, the blessing of a new tomorrow was reborn in individuals and families who hoped against hope to believe that the news of this birth would surpass xenophobia, pandemics, and border walls, and stretch across time into tomorrow, bringing together rich and poor, native and foreigner, sick and healthy, minority and majority, oppressed and oppressor. Kee's baby was born right in the middle of the mess of disease, human bigotry, power, injustice, fear, violence, and hate. And even the most hardened skeptic called it a miracle. This is Advent both before and now ... And aren't we longing for such a Christ-like breakthrough again near the close of this year ... ? There is so much more that I could write and share, but I'd rather sit down, watch "Children of Men" with you, and discuss over some coffee, tea, or a pint. Like Theo, it's worth taking our shoes off, experiencing the pain and promise together (like Theo's stigmata wound in his foot he experiences on this journey from servant-to-self into sacrificial servant for the world), and see if there is 21st century holy ground to encounter here. Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair got it right when he said,
Amen. In the beautiful, bracing rubble, a child has been born. A Son has been given. And the foundations of our lives and this world He can carry on His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6-7). So as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, let's remember again that "unto us a child is born." We all have gone astray, turning everyone to their own way. But He has come for us, making the Way, to bring us a new humanity, a tomorrow that gives birth to miraculous life beyond what we can create on our own.  More Film Series Essentials:
Christ is all,
Rev. Mike “Sully” Sullivan
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The mission of Emmaus City Church is to be united with Jesus as He shares and shows His Gospel in, with, and for Worcester, MA. "As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself suddenly came and began walking with them.” + Luke 24:15
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Advent Film Series Reflection | Children of Men by Cuarón
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