Humanities Film Series to continue with 'Children of Men'

The science fiction film “Children of Men” will be screened at 7 p.m., Feb. 18, in Room 218 of York College’s Humanities Center. Professor of Religious Studies Christa Shusko will introduce the film and lead a question-and-answer session after the screening. The event is open to the public free of charge.  

The genre of science fiction often focuses on imagining the future of humanity, or even whether humanity has a future. It is precisely the uncertain future of humanity that is the premise of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men;” the film depicts a near-future in which human beings can no longer reproduce. Because of the impending end of the species, human society has become increasingly violent, hopeless, and desperate. Though the film presents a hyperbolic scenario, it is not wholly dissimilar to past cultures’ attempts to come to terms with the threat of smaller-scale disasters. Such attempts to make sense of disasters frequently lead to apocalyptic religious perspectives.

“Children of Men” may help us consider how and why humans have been attracted to apocalypse throughout human religious history and, alternatively, to consider the ways that religious perspectives may help us understand contemporary fascinations with these dystopic visions.