Mirror Mirror on the Wall, What in the World is Going On?

As you can already tell, the world is a mess.

Throughout childhood, you may have distracted yourself from the weight of bills, impending court dates, and car insurance by watching a little bit of TV. Budding goth kids, such as myself, may have found solace in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy coming on Cartoon Network after school.

Billy and Mandy's lives are a reflection of all the ridiculous and bitter pieces of reality where everything goes haywire. Being friends with Grim, the infamous boney figure of death, their interactions with society usually leave the world battered and bruised. All energy and magic coming from Grim's scythe have connections to the ever illusive underworld. This means, that Billy and Mandy are stuck in constant episodes of havoc alongside the citizens of Endsville.

Just like the town name, their living situation seems hopeless. It is Endsville, after all.

But for us, our reality is quite different!

Although we don't have adventures in a bleak universe with the grim reaper as a sidekick, the pandemic has been keeping society in a state of its own turmoil. Giant spiders aren't taking over the Sears tower, but we do have less morale in the state of our health.

Regardless of this, there has to be some form of hope or light at the end of the tunnel when struggling with bad situations. Billy and Mandy seem to pull themselves together and make their own world okay for a bit, even when things get pretty dire. Maybe in our own sitatuion, we can apply the same sense of encouragement!

__________________________________________________

If you loved the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy as a kid, then you'll love Children of Men

__________________________________________________

Stream It: Children of Men

3 Main Themes:

• Nihilism
• Authoritarianism + Dystopian Society
• Feelings of Hope

Unlike the first season of Black Mirror, the tightening grip of government control or technological advancement isn't the end all be all in Children of Men.

Children of Men is a film that focuses on the progress of society amidst waves of downtrodden attitudes and destruction of the working class. The entire population is sterile, and unable to give birth to new children. Even amongst the rich members of the UK, no one is able to reproduce. The UK is under a brutal police state, enforcing many laws and harboring violence against refugees flowing into the country.

However, this changes when a young refugee is discovered to be pregnant.

The themes mentioned (nihilism, authorianism, and hope) are important structural bases for the entirety of this film. The main character, Theo, is now cynical of a positive turn for his country after a pandemic affected all people. Due to this tragedy, he remains at the mercy of militant groups and constantly reflecting on the loss of his son.

Even with the overbearing sadness and loss of excitement for human life to continue, there is a small seed of hope that the young refugee brings. The possibility of a new child in the world is something that has been unheard of for many years prior, which is the most promising news yet for Theo's outlook.

Our current situation amongst the COVID pandemic is eerily similar to the chaos within Children of Men. Our world is experiencing high rates of loss, grief, crime, and so forth. But, having any sort of glimmer for a better future is always treasured when there is seemingly nothing good around.

So, what is the conclusion here? Find some time to watch Children of Men!

Most Importantly:

You can find your own purpose in a world that wants you to surrender and give up.