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)
An absolute victory of form over content and story. Even though, in its almost metaphorical conception of a human society unable to reproduce, it can put a few bees in the viewer's bonnet, it's a pity that it doesn't develop the central idea that much, it doesn't provide a cohesive resolution, and instead serves as a blank canvas for the camera and editing. But oh, what camera and editing! The expression "raw" has never applied to any other film as much as it does to The Children of Men. The attack on the car, and especially Thea's journey through the battle tumult were resonating in me long after the closing credits started rolling, and I am afraid that some extraneous plagiarists, doomed in advance, will try to shoot a scene that's better or longer and will fatally fail. Definitely not the film of the year, but perfect for contemplation and amazement from a visual standpoint.
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Movie of the year, without a doubt. Cuarón’s vision of the future is dreadful and plausible. People are depicted exactly as they are in reality. Some cowardly, sometimes brave, sometimes evil, sometimes good and so on, it’s a truly mixed bunch. He shows us the future of 2027 when we have lost hope and belief in good things. But this is a simply story, without dreadful twists and shocking revelations. This is a study of Us, people. But what stands out over everything else in Children of Men is its brilliant form. The ingeniously planned choreography, the long, really long takes with not cuts whatsoever take your breath away. The scene in the car and one of the final uprisings are incredibly well executed. I couldn’t believe that it’s even possible to film anything like that. Supported by an excellent performance from Clive Owen, whose Theo is no dumb hero, but a real person afraid for his life, we see the final disintegration of our civilization. This is just what world of film needs. Movies like this. Stories like this.
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In Children of Men I didn’t find a single groundbreaking, new, or significant thing that should be recorded for eternity in the history of cinema. Alfonso Cuarón is a fine director and presents us with a truly distinctive view of the future in a fast-paced film, full of clever moments and details. The story is presented in a very peculiar and unusual form, far from the grandiose meddling with futuristic gimmicks like Minority Report, but there’s nothing to lean on in terms of plot. The film's idea is clear and powerful, but the script does not allow it to fully develop. Emotionally, the film is relatively cold and, above all, extremely simple in terms of plot. Essentially, everything is clear from the beginning. There are occasional interesting ideas, but they don't change anything in essence. The car chase and the final battle for the city are thrilling, but we have seen similar things in Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down. The fact they occur in a wannabe existential sci-fi does not make it a revolutionary matter.
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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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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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