Film Review: Children of Men (2006)
Astonishing Film Delivers Social Commentary in Sci-Fi Trappings
Feb 16, 2009
Children of Men is based on English Author PD James’ novel about a very near future where infertility is a worldwide phenomenon and no child has been born in 18 years. The future has become a bleak and dystopian existence filled with fear, totalitarianism and paranoia. The setting is 2027 in an England where the government fueled anti-immigration mantra has gripped and ripped the last great nation on the planet, and news has spread of the death of 18 year old ‘Baby Diego’ – the last child born and the youngest person on the planet. Dire circumstances for sure.
Theodore Faron (Clive Owen), a drunk and disillusioned man finds himself the unwitting custodian of what could be humanities last great hope, a young and very pregnant immigrant girl. With her life in danger for both what she is carrying and who she is (a non-citizen) – she must take a perilous journey across England to find refuge in something called ‘The Human Project’ – a rumored place that will provide safety and support for this frightened young girl.
Documentary Style Filmmaking Creates Realsim of the Fictional Future
Director Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Great Expectations) gives the material great attention to detail and chose to film it using a somewhat guerilla style, soaking each of his scenes with the feel of raw footage that allows the ideas in the film to pervade each shot and the desolate world this story is set in to become almost a character itself. His style is also a little unnerving, as the hand-held camera spends a great deal of time focused on and very close to the actors, placing you in the thick of the events.
Clive Owen as Theodore Faron and Claire-Hope Ashitey as the pregnant Kee provide performances that agitate from blunt to fragile, dancing across emotionally tenuous lines, where the few moments of levity or tenderness are abruptly punctured by violence, throwing these actors up and down the emotional slide.To their credit, they are never unreasonably heroic, just driven by something personal, whether it is their past, their present and their unspoken need for some small amount of hope.
Theodore’s close friend Jasper is played by Michael Caine, a simple role that allows the great British actor a chance to dress like a hippy remnant and provide the audience a moment or two to smile. Julianne Moore (The Hours) has a small role as Julian Taylor, Theodore’s ex-wife and leader of a revolutionary activist group that engages Theodore to provide aid for the pregnant girl. And lastly is Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity), as Luke, a member of the activist group. Julianne is solid in her brief role and Chiwetel is good but his character feels a little unfinished or perhaps under explored. A minor disappointment as he is an exciting new talent in the world of film and one to watch out for in the future.
Austere Future, Common In Science-Fiction Tales, Never More Expertly Expressed Than in Children of Men
In the realm of Sci-fi, there is no shortage of visions of our future to be found in the celluloid archives; each with a somewhat unique take on where we may, as a species, take this planet of ours. In all the films that speak of the future, Children of Men may very well have the bleakest view of our possible tomorrow. Not unlike films such as 12 Monkeys and Escape from New York, it fills each frame with a gritty, desperate and government oppressed future while serving the science fiction concept well.
Filled with broad social and political statements that, to some, may seem like obvious ‘worst case scenario’ outcomes of political decisions being made in today’s landscape and may, as a result, seem to absurd to consider - but Children of Men is such an intimate and powerful film, it is hard to ignore.
