Children of Men
Clive Owen stars as the numb, desolate Theo
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Tuesday, 26, Sep 2006 11:39
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, out at cinemas now, starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Sir Michael Caine, Claire-Hope Ashitey, running time 108 minutes .
In a nutshell.
Intense, engaging, socially-conscious thriller.
What's it all about?
In the grimy, violent, despairing London of 2027, the public mourns the death of the youngest person in the world. Their grief is not just for the dead man himself but for the desperate situation the planet faces - the last child on Earth was born 18 years ago and the human race is dying.
Civil servant Theo (Clive Owen) is pulled out of his hopeless, aimless existence when he is kidnapped by former lover Julian (Julianne Moore), a radical pro-immigration activist and leader of a guerrilla group called the Fishes. She has a task for him - to help a young illegal immigrant slip past the authorities and board a ship crewed by the mysterious Human Project; scientists working to find an answer to the world's infertility crisis. The fate of the human race itself may hang on the young girl - for she is the first pregnant woman the world has seen for nearly two decades.
Who's in it?
Clive Owen is excellent as the numb, desolate Theo. He is ably supported by Pam Ferris as the staunch and maternal former midwife Miriam, who is determined to protect Kee, the young girl who may represent the future of humanity.
Claire-Hope Ashitey as Kee is superb, illuminating the film with a mixture of fragility, strength, innocence and fear. Cinema audiences can expect great things from her in the future.
Some of the film's few light moments come in the form of a memorable performance by Sir Michael Caine as ageing hippy and former political satirist Jasper. Living in a hidden forest home he cares with tenderness and humour for his disabled former photojournalist wife, who has been tortured to the point of catatonia by the militaristic government.
As an example.
"The youngest person on the planet was 18 years, four months, 20 days, 16 hours and eight minutes old." - A news announcer relays to a stunned world the death of 'Baby Diego'.
"As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices." - Miriam (Pam Ferris) remembers the start of the infertility crisis.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
With the film being hailed by critics for its innovative camerawork, Alfosnso Cuarón has a strong chance of taking home the Best Director statuette at next year's awards.
What the others say
"A fine but flawed exercise in dystopia. " - Variety
"The confusion of political messages and gaps in logic threaten to put the brakes on everything. But Cuarón has enough flair for action to keep the chase involving and shows as much sensitivity with Theo's spiritual re-awakening." - BBC Movies
So is it any good?
Children of Men is an engaging story, masterfully told with a minimum of exposition. Today's viewers will find much of political relevance as themes of illegal immigration, religious extremism and civil liberties are raised in an intelligent, lucid script.
The camerawork is superb. Shot entirely on handheld cameras and utilising lingering tracking shots, the climactic sequence takes place in one breathtakingly tense shot as Theo makes his way through a ghettoised detention centre that has become a warzone.
Some critics argue that the film contains too many issues to do justice to them all, but Cuarón's handling of the emotional themes is done with such deftness it's easy to forgive.
Despite its bleak vision of the future, there's a deep vein of tenderness in the film. In a childless future, characters cradle dogs as if they are babies, while a scene between Jasper and his silent wife is among the most touching committed to celluloid this year.
Politically relevant, inventively shot and at times savagely tense, Children of Men ranks amongst the finest films of the year so far.
8/10
Rebecca Malings