How Is 'Children of Men' considered to be a post modern film?

Introduction
Children of Men is considered to be a post modern film as there are many features which can indicate this. Children of Men uses a range of different genres, such as Action, Adventure, War etc, this is one of the features which is used to describe Children of Men as a post modern film. Intertextualism is also used throughout the film, combined with the distinction between high and popular culture. These three features are used so that the audience can indicate that Children of Men is a post modern film.

Children of Men, uses a range of different genres within the film and uses repetition and variation, the genres which are used throughout the film are: Action, Adventure, Documentary, Drama, Science - Fiction and Road Movie. All the genres show conventional features throughout, but also a lot of variation is used to as the genres are slightly different to our stereotypical films within them genres. This can be shown in the film with the Science - Fiction genre as the conventional feature - is the futuristic setting (repetition), and the variation which is shown in terms of Cuaron's vision of the future- it's fairly recognisable to the audience. Throughout the film the audience can indicate what genres are being used, for example, it feels like a road movie as Theo uses a range of transport throughout the movie, also it feels like a documentary as when Theo smashes the guys face with a battery, it is a long take.

High culture and Popular Art is shown throughout the Children of Men, the main three intertextual references which are shown in the movie is Banskys well know copper kissing grafiti, which is then compared with the gurneica of Pablo Picasso. This shows that the art and culture of the world is equal and shouldnt been seen differently. This is a feature of post modernism.

Modernism

Modernism is a style or movement in this list of Arts

• Painting
• Sculpture
• Architecture
• Literature
• Poetry

These are challenged traditional and classical forms

Thoughts are that modernism began in the late 1800's. It roughly occurred between 1875 and the mid-1900's. 

The argument which was that they was a change in society, which was becoming more:

• Modern 
• Industrial
• Secular
• Rational 

Modernist Architecture

Modernist architects and designers believed that building should be practially designed - as apposed to decorative churches or cathedrals in the past. Modernist designers typically rejected decoration in design, preferring to emphaise the materials used and pure geometrical forms.

Modernist Literature

Modernist Literature is a sub-genre of Modernism-characteristed by writing that was utopian, positive and reflected great developments in the fled of political history, philisophy and psychoanakysis.

But after WW2, the writing reflected disillunsionment and a lack of trust in government and religion, and displayed the fears of a darker side of humanity.

This are a list of Modernist Literatures:

• TS Elliot - Poet
• EM Forester - Novelist
• James Joyce - Novelist and Poet
• DH Lawrence - Novelist. Poet and Playright

Modernism

• Self-conciousness/self-reflexivity
• Alternative ways of thinking about representation - rejecting traditional approaches
• Rejection of realism
• Experimentation
• Fragmentation in form and representation
• Modernism challenged Status Quo
• Modernism retained a belief that rationality and reason were the key to progress.

3 Examples


Pablo Picasso - Scream



I think this shows alternative ways of thinking about representation - rejecting the tradtional approaches and also experimentation as it is slightly rejecting the tradtional ideas about realism.


Sydney Opera House



I personally believe this is a way of Experimentation with also the rejection of realism.