Children of Men [DVD] [2007]

So us !

Children of Men was shown in limited cinemas on Christmas Day in 2006; an appropriate day for a story of the re-birth of the human race. The film's opening credits flash onto a black screen with a newsreader voice off announcing the death of baby Diego, at eighteen, the youngest person on the planet. Newspaper cuttings confirm the progressive downfall of humanity and posters state that `avoiding fertility tests is a crime'. Graffiti proclaims the growing threat of an uprising. Britain is the only country in the world not fallen into total chaos. However, all foreigners are now considered illegal immigrants, are termed Fugees hunted down and placed in cages or sent to live in refugee shanty camps. The government hands out anti depressants and Quietus kits for the gentle suicide with the slogan `you decide when'. Fear is mobilized by political groups such as the Renouncers who preach that infertility is God's punishment. Society is running down with no reason to maintain it. Rubbish litters the filthy streets, schools fall into ruin and despite being set in the future of 2027 it looks as if no advancements have been made in many years. This perhaps is the brilliance behind the film; it is a futuristic, dystopian world that still feels genuine and reflects so many parallels already inherent in today's society.As the film begins there is mass mourning, Princess Diana style, for the loss of Diego and a high pitched, uncomfortable whistling sound that we realise is Theo's ears ringing from a bomb that explodes in the café he has just left. Theodore Faron is not the archetypal hero, he blunders clumsily through the film, an unshaven, alcoholic living like a zombie, his previous activist nature turned passive with the knowledge that the human race is doomed to be extinct. He flippantly states that the cigarettes he smokes are `not killing him yet'. Flip-flops are not the usual foot attire for the champion protector, yet Theo limps to the end on his damaged feet.Throughout the film there is constant Christian subtext: Kee reveals her swollen belly to Theo in a straw filled barn. She is being shepherded by Julian, leader of the Fishes who strive for equal rights for illegal immigrants. The fish is a symbol of Christianity. Theodore, meaning gift from God, is the only person Julian and Kee trust. Dogs and cats flock to him and we see an assortment of chickens, sheep and a loan deer in his path that imply his Jesus-like status. Miriam, the original Hebrew form of Mary, is the oddly Buddhist midwife, preparing to bring in the new life. Kee jokes that she is a virgin and laughs at Theo's dumbstruck expression; but we are assured that the religious suggestions are merely a way of making this film stand out as apocalyptic. The profanities in the film seem unusually apt as `Jesus Christ' is gasped several times and Theo delivers the first child since 2009 to the words `Oh my God.'The film is based on P D James' book, but retains only the bare essentials of its plot. Sadly we miss the vision of women pushing dolls in prams or having christening parties for kittens and Theo's cousin is in fact more than a minister collecting the remnants of art, he is the Warden of England; its sole ruler. Although the book is quieter and more sinister, director Alfonso Cuarón's (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) film gives his audience enough thought provoking detail to balance the high action scenes with sensitive control.The film is shot in hazy grey-green monotone, other than the few splashes of red blood that hit the camera in the penultimate scenes. Angelic choirs sing through the sound of gunshot. This is a bleak looking film, desolate, war ridden and broken and yet it carries hope with it in Theo's reluctant awakening. Clive Owen (Croupier, Derailed) as Theo carries this exceptional film, with his brooding stillness complimenting Cuarón's fluid photography in a documentary styled piece. Owen's beautifully unguarded acting style is perfect for the flawed and cynical hero that we trust despite his disenchantment. Michael Caine (The Italian Job, Get Carter) is wonderful as Theo's aging hippie friend.The film comes to an end all too soon, with Theo striving to find safety for Kee and the new child on the hospital boat, aptly named the tomorrow, part of the illusive Human Project. We are left wishing there had been more to it, wanting more information about the outcome but ultimately with a sense of sad contemplation but renewed faith in the human condition. As the end credits scroll up to the sound of children's laughter we are assured that hope has prevailed.

Interesting story of an infertile world, surrounding characters who are uncertain of their future in this police state of an Orwellian nightmare. People fighting for resources and seeking fertile women. Many of the themes, although to be taken more subtely, can be compared to the world we find ourselves in today: hysteria over "overpopulation" and plummeting fertility rates in men (and women).

An oddity in that it's a very British film made by a Mexican director, Children of Men is to me one of the greatest works of 21st Century cinema so far.The near-future dystopia created by Cuaron is incredibly convincing and well-realised - and is now very near indeed, given that the film is set in 2027. The story is compelling, the action gritty and incredibly immersive, and the cinematography technically astonishing. The extremely long shots (actually cleverly stitched together from some still-very long takes) add a documentary feel that defies you to say that this isn't really happening and you're not really in the middle of it. Interspersed with the sequences of pulse-pounding excitement are some superbly written and performed domestic scenes, and there's interesting imagery throughout, notably a recurring theme involving animals.Alongside his visual prowess (and credit here of course to celebrated director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki), Cuaron also knows exactly how to use music - and more importantly when to stop using it.All of the performances are good. Even Clive Owen, who I tend to hate in everything, seems perfectly cast here.Be warned that Children of Men might not be for everyone. For the most part, it is a pretty grim watch, although no less gripping for that. There are occasional moments of humour and hope to offset the bleak tone. You may well not enjoy it if you're strongly right-leaning or anti-immigrant, since its politics are bold and unapologetic - perhaps even unsubtle - but otherwise you'll find it a powerful representation of an all-too-possible future.If you enjoyed Gravity and consider yourself an Alfonso Cuaron fan as a result, I urge you to watch this film. To me, Gravity was a visually fantastic dead duck. Children of Men is the full package, and is his masterpiece.