‘Tories have made it reality’: Children of Men fans compare dystopian thriller to Suella Braverman’s refugee plan

The 2006 dystopian thriller Children of Men aired on BBC Two last night (2 April), prompting viewers to comment on how much the film mirrors reality.

The movie, co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, is based on PD James’s 1992 novel The Children of Men.x

It is set in 2027, and imagines a world in which two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse.

Asylum seekers try to find safety in the UK, where they are subjected to detention or deportation by the government.

Clive Owen plays civil servant Theo Faron, who attempts to help refugee Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) escape the calamity.

Many viewers have been posting on social media about the parallels between the movie and real life.

“Just rewatching 2006 dystopian film Children of Men in which the UK is a police state and illegal immigrants are imprisoned (or executed) by the gov,” tweeted one fan. “The final scenes take place in a refugee camp in Bexhill. Four days ago the UK gov announced a refugee camp will open in Bexhill.”

“Seems mischievous of the BBC to programme Cuarón’s incredible Children of Men at this moment in history,” added another. “Britain isolated by Brexit, global pandemic, an aggressive policy on immigrants, an attempt at a dystopian control of the populace: from 2006, it got so much right.”

Some joked that the film felt like a documentary, and that home secretary Suella Braverman may have been “taking notes” on the movie.

Braverman has been the subject of much criticism for saying it is her “dream” and “obsession” to see refugees deported from the UK to Rwanda, a country with a track record of systematic human rights violations. Read the latest here.

“One of my favourite films is on BBC Two now,” tweeted one person. “I thought it was fiction the first time I saw it, but the Tories have turned it into reality.”

“My favourite British documentary just started on BBC Two,” posted another.

A third wrote: “The best dystopian stories reflect the contemporary reality in an abstracted way. But some are also prophetic. Sadly Children of Men does both extremely well. No doubt Suella Braverman is frantically scribbling in a notepad while watching it.”

“Watching Children of Men when it first came out, I thought, ‘What a horrible dystopian future.’ Watching it tonight, I’m thinking, ‘This is a Tory instruction manual!’” added a fourth.

Speaking in an interview at the time of the movie’s release, Owen said the film was “not a fantasy”.

“[Cuarón] is actually using a film set 30 years in the future as an excuse to talk about present worries, concerns, and fears that we all have,” he said.

“It’s an incredibly relevant vision of the future because he’s really looking ahead and saying, ‘If we’re not careful, this is where things could be going.’

“And I don’t think the film is that futuristic; if you look at the opening scene, my character walks into a café, walks outside, and a bomb goes off – the beginning of the movie.

“That’s the world we’re in, that’s not futuristic; that’s incredibly relevant. I think it’s not that farfetched…”

Children of Men was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Baftas when it was released. It is available on iPlayer now.