Directed by:
Alfonso CuarónCinematography:
Emmanuel LubezkiComposer:
John TavenerCast:
Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Danny Huston, Charlie Hunnam, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris, Peter Mullan, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Oana Pellea (more)VOD (3)
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Set in 2027, scientists are at a loss to explain why humans can no longer procreate, but the discovery of a lone pregnant woman leads to a desperate journey to protect her and save the future of mankind. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
The brilliant parable of the demise of humanity culminates in the technical means of storytelling. The music is a very interesting mix of apocalyptic chorus, unpleasant noises and hits, which can be heard directly in the fictional world (from the radio and the futuristic hi-fi system). I have to admit that after watching Children of Men... I will never forget Ruby Tuesday. A similarly effective resource is the editing, which in some places is completely absent and allows the film to flow in incredibly long and raw units. This highlights the expressive work of Emmanuel Lubezki's handheld camera (he also shot Burton's Sleepy Hollow). With its shaky eye, the camera adds a touch of authenticity to both dialogue scenes and action sequences, which are unhealthily imminent and impressive. The actor group led by the excellent Clive Owen deserves great recognition... there is no doubt that his rough masculine face is endowed with gentle inner acting and natural fragility, favoring civilian positions. Michael Caine in the role of Jasper once again demonstrates what the strengthening charisma of old age is... Claire Hope-Ashitey's unknown face shines and can easily match a star like Julianne Moore. The main star, however, is Alfonso Cuarón, who, after his difficult involvement in the Harry Potter films, finally submits work that ranks him amongst the top magnitude of director stars. The way he works with large sets of shots, with human faces, the way in which the film intensity escalates, the way he evokes the atmosphere of the future world with minimal resources and the way he reflects the decaying state of our world in the future world with minimal resources is admirable and worth acknowledging. Children of Men is not a matter of vain moralizing, nor a disaster film based on a scheme and all-telling symbols. It is essentially an intimate film, one that is harshly authentic and honest. On a small sample of humanity, he presents a horrible vision of the end of humanity, which is symbolically raised in its resolution... there is no doubt that this "science fiction" is nothing but the freezing hyperbole of today. For me, the current spectator experience of the year.
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A riveting film with a pretty realistic portrayal of our near future. The world in 2027: misery, filth, people living in unsustainable social conditions; not that different from our present. If you multiply today’s problems in Europe, you will get something unpleasantly similar to Children of Men. This socio-political insight gives the film an uncompromising undertone, while the main storyline provides a sufficiently solid base for the viewer to consider it real and factually important. The camera for the most part is a couple of paces behind the protagonist and in several scenes it pulls you directly into the events taking place on screen, making you go through a brutal shoot-out, a bus full of hiding wretches and a semi-demolished building. Everything feels incredibly alive but depressive at the same time, and the glimmer of hope in the form of a baby by the end works the way it should.
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This is no milestone in the history of cinema, for that Cuarón would have to be as good a screenwriter as he is a director, but it’s definitely a film that can only be recommended. At least 2 scenes – the carjacking and the wartime turmoil in the refugee zone – are worthy of inclusion in the proverbial "hall of fame" of memorable scenes; the only thing I missed while watching them was an involuntary "Holy shit!". Another thing worth praise is the interestingly portrayed atmosphere of the near future: bleak and troubled, free from exaggerated technological trappings, but with an emphasis on one of the expected future problems of Western civilization, which is already beginning to rear its ugly head (see this year's events in France), namely the problem of illegal immigrants and the related rise of xenophobia. Clive Owen is a very charismatic guy and a good actor, I'm rooting for his current status as a major leading man, just a shame that in his case it didn't come sooner.
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Of all the film premieres of 2006, Children of Men left the biggest impression on me, and because I didn't hesitate to go to the movie theater to watch it, I was rewarded with an experience on the big screen. It is a film that is brilliantly directed, a masterpiece by Alfonso Cuarón, where you can feel the touch of an extraordinarily talented filmmaker in every shot. However, I have one problem with Children of Men: Yes, is brilliantly filmed, but I am concerned with what it is about. The literary source by P. D. James is just an average story from the science fiction genre, and in my library, there are hundreds of novels and stories that deserve such precise adaptation far more than this. The basic motif, namely the fact that children have stopped being born, is essentially nonsensical and can only be seen as a metaphor. But I have a slight issue with the divine punishment in the sci-fi movie. Furthermore, the world of the author is not very functional. Why should the planet fall into chaos and only Great Britain survive as an island of stability? In moments of crisis, old proven dictatorships usually take over, regardless of their nature, and in a world where older people prevail, the desire for stability prevails as well. Nevertheless, my overall impression is a reliable 90%. It combines three basic prerequisites for the creation of a good film - an original story, a strong theme, and unique execution. Practically every scene is captured with remarkable invention and persuasiveness. The strongest impression a viewer takes away is from the depiction of battle scenes in a ravaged refugee camp. Cuarón has an extraordinary ability to tell a dramatic story and doesn't need frantic and shaky camera shots like notorious B-movie directors. At the same time, it's not overly sentimental or just cheap entertainment. It is a directorially alarming and exceptionally emotional film. It is already part of the golden fund of science fiction works today.
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This film’s technical brilliance and orgiastic creativity in its visuals will cause film connoisseurs’ jaws to drop and the plot with a powerful theme and even more powerful scenes will melt the hearts of children and adults of all ages. Even though Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki show off a bit in the manner of “Look what we can do!” in places, their film will leave absolutely no one cold. In a packed cinema, Children of Men is an excellent collective experience, with people clutching their heads, laughing and groaning as if they themselves had been hit in the mouth with a car battery. I believe that just as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Coppola and co. got a dying Hollywood back on its feet in the 1970s, Cuarón, Alejandro Iñárritu, Paul Greengrass and co. will now take it to another level in this age of calculated digital confections. *** FILM OF THE YEAR ***
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