"Children Of Men" Poster Analysis

The “Children Of Men” poster is an ideal post-apocalyptic thriller poster.  The scene is set with the bold, red, upper-left-hand corner text reading “THE YEAR 2027: …”.  The man on the poster is the presumed protagonist, judging by the fact that he is looking out from the broken glass with a weathered face, smiling slightly.  His eyes are light and hopeful.  The poster is lighter around his face, suggesting that he is good.  This is further manifested through the text, “He is our only hope.”  The dark shadows around the rest of his body, as well as the broken glass around his face, show that he is trapped and surrounded by evil.  The broken glass in front of his face also suggests that he will overcome it.  The broken part of the glass is almost in the shape of a club (frequently the unlucky suit used in cards) which insinuates that he is in a bad situation.  The light next to his face also represents hope.  He must crack the puzzle (or the glass) in order to save the day, foreshadowing violence and relating with our perception of the thriller genre.