There was a lot of hype surrounding last year’s Children of Men, a depressing and hopeless vision of a futuristic world where women are infertile. I finally had my turn at screening the film in the comforts of my living room. Even before the first scene fades into view, we hear voices from news anchors talking about the political climate of the times. When we do get a glimpse of this world, we see a mass of people crowded in a coffee shop, mourning the loss of the world’s youngest person - an eighteen year-old, known as “Baby Diego.” For 18 years no child has been born, and the year 2027 is a depressing, hopeless place, filled with political upheaval and government oppression.
It’s in this turbulent time that a one-time radical activist-turned-cynic named Theo (Clive Owen) is given a proposition by his former love-interest Julian (Julianne Moore). She asks him to abandon his rut-filled cubicle existence and assist her radical rights group (known as The Fishes) smuggle a young pregnant girl out of the country to rendevous with a mythical group called The Human Project. From the moment he agrees, Theo’s life changes in ways he could not expect.
Children of Men is a dark and ultra-realistic take on the ver-near future. There are no flying cars here. No outrageous, colorful outfits. No droids to do the human’s bidding. It’s a place where chaos and inhumanity reigns. It’s the manifestiation of our generation’s fear of what “may be.” And upon this backdrop we are introduced to the most unlikely of heroes - Theo. His is an interesting character study. When we first meet him, we see that he sort of sleep-walks through life - cynical and bitter. But his association with Kee, the young pregnant girl, and his experiences thereafter, rekindle his hope for humanity.
Technically speaking, Children of Men achieves some very wonderful shots. The director chose to shoot scenes in ultra-long takes, which gives the film a sense of real-time and viewer participation. There are very few cuts throughout the film, but one hardly notices, as the acting and story succeed in holding our attention. Particularly impressive is a scene lasting approximately four minutes wherein five actors sit inside a car, having a conversation. There are no cuts throughout the entire scene and the camera moves fluidly throughout the space, even rotating 360 degrees to show the viewer what lies ahead on the road. Truly remarkable.
The film is very dark and depressing, and probably won’t leave a lot of viewers with a good taste in their mouths, but the more one reflects on the story and its characters, the more one appreciates what the filmmakers were trying to achieve. I especially enjoyed the cinematography and shot selection. The characters are very well developed and the viewer can easily sympathize with their plight. The dialogue is good throughout the film - well structured without unrealistic expository statements. The viewer is left to figure out many things on his own and that is what helps create a compelling film.
Bottom Line: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
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