20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Children Of Men

When most people think of objects/symbols that denote doom in film they think of obvious picks such as weapons, poisonous substances or treacherous landscapes. However, one unlikely object that has gained traction in films over the last five decade is the humble orange.

Since the days of The Godfather Part 2, the fruit (and colour) have grown to be associated with a character’s impending demise. It turns out that the oranges were used in the iconic film by production designer Dean Tavoularis to simply make the dour scene more vibrant.

Since then, many films have (amusingly) used a simple design trick as a harbinger of doom in their stories, with Children of Men joining that list upon its release. The fatal fruits feature prominently just before Julian’s death in the first act and the climatic attack on the Bexhill refugee camp, thus continuing a most unusual visual trope in film.