The short film, “Children” by Takuya Okada covers the importance of freedom and individuality. It is set in an oppressive society that promotes intense order and repetition. Children in schools aren’t allowed to speak up for themselves, get a grade under 100%, or just do anything out of the school’s extremely repetitive schedule. In the video, all the kids at the school had a zipper on their mouths, which represents them being silenced, followed by the fact that these kids are so similar that they must be numbered to be able to distinguish them. Any games played at the school are not allowed to be won by anyone. They do not play for fun, they play so the scores are evened up at the end, eliminating all the excitement and spontaneity that comes with these games. A fictious reality with these characteristics would be called, a dystopian society, “a dystopia is an imagined community or society that is dehumanizing and frightening” (Masterclass 2022). All the things listed are big factors in this short film. The reality in which these characters are living is filled with huge problems, such as mass pollution, and the destruction of nature. In addition, they live in a dehumanized state, there is fear amongst the children of breaking rules and an oppressive figurehead supervising that nothing goes out of the ordinary. As well as making it seem like a good thing by praising them. In the end, it only takes one kid to change everything by finally speaking up and breaking free from all the brainwash he had received. As the other kids observe, they gain the courage to follow in his footsteps and rebel against the teacher. Watching this raises curiosity of what would happen if our world was like the one in this story. The thought of this happening doesn’t seem too far-fetched from past and current experiences in our society, therefore making “Children” a work of speculative fiction.  

Works cited

What Is Dystopian, Masterclass, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-dystopian-fiction-learn-about-the-5-characteristics-of-dystopian-fiction-with-examples Accessed February 10 2023.