20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Children Of Men
19. The Bexhill Camp Details
Alfonso Cuaron's dedication to realizing the grim future painted in PD James' novel as realistically as possible meant that he would make references to tragedies and atrocities in the real world as well, especially in its depiction of the Bexhill refugee camp.
The first of these is seen when Theo, Kee and Miriam arrive in the camp, the song "Arbeit Macht Frei" by the Libertines can be faintly heard in the background. The phrase which translates to "Work shall set you free" was placed above the entrances of nearly all Nazi concentration camps in World War 2.
Not long after, Miriam is taken away from her allies and following this, Theo and Kee see a refugee in a pose and garb eerily similar to the "hooded man" from the disturbing human rights abuses in the Abu Ghraib prison during the early days of the Iraq War.
These references may be on screen briefly but they serve as harrowing and unfortunately timely reminder of the real world's uncomfortable proximity to the world seen in the film.