Director: Alfonso Cuaron.
Cast: Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Michael Cane and Julianne Moore.
A superbly acted piece of cinema, Children Of Men is breath-takingly poignant and full of unforgettable moments. It also is a unique opportunity to witness how important hope is to the human race.
Children Of Men is set in a world in which people have lost the ability to reproduce. As a result, social order has broken down and the people have become oppressed by an insensitive, authoritarian government. The film is set in Britain and follows Theo Faron, a man with seemingly nothing to live for until he comes into an extraordinary situation in which his life is given meaning as he becomes charged with the heavy responsibility of delivering perhaps the only pregnant woman in the world, Kee, to a group of people who may be able to help her.
Clive Owen excels in the role of Theo and not only sustains the entire film almost single-handedly but exudes a deep pathos and regret throughout. We are in no doubt that we are witnessing a tortured soul beaten down by a corrupt society and malevolent government. It remains unsaid throughout the film, but Theo certainly has suicide on his mind as he struggles to find joy in what he perceives to be a miserable existence. Devoid of hope and inhabiting an unimaginably hostile world, Theo is the perfect protagonist to navigate such a hellish place.
Michael Caine’s character of Jasper is a distillation of one of the musical icons of the 20th century, John Lennon. Full of sage advice and knowing awareness, he is one of the stable influences on Theo. Jasper is highly amenable character whose quirky eccentricities and love of weird music are a joy to behold. In a film that at times is rather bleak, his comic relief is simply bliss and proves that humour is something that should be cherished.
Of the support cast, Julianne Moore confidently portrays Julian, a woman fighting the all-powerful government. Moore shrewdly resists the temptation to make her character larger than life. This restraint is of the utmost importance as the filmic world itself takes so much of the viewer’s attention. While the character of Kee, well-acted by the aptly named Clare-Hope Ashitay, is a good blend of naivety and savvy.
Children Of Men is a riveting film that is concerned with the perennial theme of Armageddon. In such a scenario, normal social conventions are uprooted and people’s animalistic nature comes to the fore. In this strange land, anarchy is rife and emotional sentiment is superseded by self-preservation. Films such as 1984 are brilliant in depicting these dystopian nightmares and Children of Men is firmly in the same genre. This is perhaps the single greatest reason for such an anarchic and controlling society. A world in which people are fully aware that their species is doomed and a culture removed of children is a human world without purpose. Consequently, it is ruled by authoritarians who only care about the present.
This alternative reality is somewhere that people such as Theo have long been reconciled to a hopeless fate. This world is highly egocentric and more appropriately this could be seen as an extension of the animal kingdom where there can be only one top dog and in this case it is the a plutocratic government that is doing the ruling.
One of the great joys of watching Children Of Men is the wonderful cinematography and credit must go to the Director of Photography, Emmanuel Lubezki. There are several long-take scenes that are simultaneously poignant and shocking. The net effect is to draw the viewer, almost as an extra character, into sharing the same space as the other protagonists. This helps to make the film one of the most visceral cinematic experiences that you are likely to encounter.
Children Of Men is a film that has many despicable characters, from egocentric psychopaths to people, who without purpose, have almost given up on living. But despite all of these things, and despite its darkness, the film has true heart and praises humankind not just in all its vainglory and folly but also in its simple ways that it manifests happiness and hope.
Highly Recommended Get The Film Through Amazon
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