Representation and Children of Men

We didn't do too much on the concept of representation and Children of Men. However, we did think about the ways in which it represents society and the government. There was a particularly interesting sequence when Theo goes to see his cousin (a government official) to arrange travel papers for himself and Kee. As the official car drives towards Nigel's apartment the colour pallette becomes much brighter than at any other point in the film. Exotic animals like camels can be seen in the background too suggesting a society divided and destroyed by a clear opposition between the masses, with nothing, and the few with wealth.

Stereotypes are a key part of thinking about the concept of representation but I'd argue that there are not many obvious stereotypes in Children of Men. The Geordie character that is part of the Fishes group is probably the most stereotypical character as he seems to fit the bill of being an angry young man with strong anti-authority feelings. He's not a central character though and most of the central characters are more rounded characters who have a complexity beyond simple stereotypes.