The film is an adaptation from a P.D. James novel and follows a conventional linear narrative. The events are presented to the audience on screen in the order in which they would have logically occurred.
We applied Todorov's narrative theory to the film and found that it applies quite neatly:
1. Equilibrium - Normal day in London for Theo. Ok, a bomb explodes in a coffee shop but other than that, potentially opposing forces are in balance.
2. Disruption - Theo is kidnapped by the Fishes and offered money to arrange travel papers for Kee.
3. Recognition - Theo is interrogated in the small room by his ex-wife and other members of the Fishes.
4. Actions and Complications - The journey to Bexhill via the farm then all of the events up until Theo and Kee rowing out to sea.
5. Resolution - The 'Tomorrow' boat comes through the mist to collect Kee and her baby, Dylan.
It's a little unconventional in terms of the resolution as we have the death of the hero and there is considerable uncertainty still - who knows whether Kee's baby marks a turning point for the human race? Not me!
If you have a quiet moment, you might also want to think about Children of Men from the perspective of the theories we've looked at more recently- Levi-Strauss and Binary Oppositions and Vladimir Propp and his 8 character types.
Other than that though, it is a conventional linear narrative that adheres to the underlying structural form identified by our Bulgarian friend Tzvetzan Todorov.
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