Theatrical Review of Children of Men

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The main plot of "Children of Men"-transporting a miraculously pregnant girl across a ravaged England- exists because of an elaborate game of telephone: no one associated with the girl (Kee) has actually talked to The Human Project, a group determined to figure out why females can no longer conceive. The Human Project has spoken to another party, who has relayed information to someone else, who then got it into the hands of a person who could bring it to a confidant of Kee...the logistics are meaningless, really. The idea, pure and simple, is that of trust.

In a world not too far in our own future, there are no pregnancies and disaster has struck every country, every city and every person in the world. A litany of major cities have been destroyed by some unknown calamity. It is widely believed that within 50 years, the human race will be extinct. With the new the world's youngest person (18 years old) has died, all hope seems lost. A man, Theo (Clive Owen), who doesn't seem to care one way or the other, is thrust into the middle of a political battle. His ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) trusts him to safeguard Kee's life so she may live to give birth to this miracle child. As a group known as the Fishes (illegal immigrants who want equal rights) hunt them down, Theo comes to understand he is the sole chance humanity has for survival.

Really, there's nothing I've already said that isn't plainly evident in the trailer. And that's how it is going to stay throughout this review. "Children of Men" is a movie that should be experienced without it being spoiled. As mentioned before, the underlying theme of the movie is trust. Trust in each other at a time when trust might as well be a curse word. Julian tells Kee she can only trust Theo. Julian tells Theo she only trusts him. Everyone must trust that The Human Project actually exists. Theo and Kee must trust strangers they meet on their journey to keep their secret. The Fishes don't trust that anyone will accept a "terrorist" girl could be pregnant. Without trust, the delicate house of cards the characters construct would topple to the ground, causing them all to die and hope to be snuffed out.

"Children of Men" is about more than trust, though. It's about shaking everything we as a country and as a species understands by making pointed political statements that reflect on our times. Nearly every shot in the movie is chock-full of minute details that would be glossed over in other films. The moment when Theo and Julian are reunited includes a wonderful tapestry of newspaper articles covering the windows. They give information about the world these characters inhabit and are just as interesting as the words coming out of the actor's mouths. Illegal immigration is the major political hot potato thrown around here. With the fall of the rest of the world, Britain continues to be relatively peaceful. People who make their way to the country illegally (the borders are closed) are rounded up and thrown in jails. (Sound familiar?)

The thing about this script, based on the novel by P. D. James, is it doesn't make value judgments about the state of the world. Characters are much more interested in trying to survive than to place blame. There is a discussion early on about what caused females to become infertile (pollution, technology), but nobody is mentioned as a culprit. Surely, though, some of the background details suggest the current conflict in Iraq as a cause of this ravaged world. That's as far as the "liberal" politics go in "Children of Men".

Alfonso Cuaron, perhaps best known for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"), directs the entire picture via hand helm camera, giving the end production a documentary feel appropriate to the subject matter. He also sets up shots and sequences where the actors are required to perform for prolonged periods of time without the benefit of traditional Hollywood cutting. An easy way to notice this technique is to watch the blood splattering on the screen. The entire time it's there, the actors continue through the scene. Running, jumping, yelling, explosions going off, gunfire...it's all very elaborate and methodical. Aside from being a film student curiosity, the uncut sequence allows the audience to focus in on the emotions and reactions of the actors (primarily Owen) within the benefit of close-ups or other conventional Hollywood moviemaking techniques. The momentum of the moment isn't lost it's expounded upon.

This is Clive Owen's film. Period. Julianne Moore and Michael Caine might get equal billing, but Owen is the star, the emotional center, the protagonist. He is the audience. In the hands of a lesser actor-or one more widely known-the part would fail. The role of Theo requires the actor to be an everyman and, frankly, that's something the like of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Christian Bale have not been in many, many years. His face tells us everything we need to know about this man: he is unshaven and he looks tired, depressed and beaten up. He has no fight left, no emotion. Until he has a reason to fight.

The situation we're thrust into does not provide any easy answers as to how we got to that point. Unlike other films that want to solve the problems of the world, "Children of Men" has no interest in preaching. Instead, it strives to show a possible future for the Earth. And in that possibility is the hope people will rise up and change the reality. Maybe not for themselves, but for the next generation...if there is to be a next generation. The ending of the film, which I won't spoil here, is simultaneously hopeful and distressing. As an American moviegoer, we've been trained to want a definitive coda, a way to wrap up the entire story in a nice bow. That's not the type of finale that awaits at the end of "Children of Men". It would have been disingenuous to the movie.

"Children of Men", on a scale of 1 to 10, gets an 8.5.

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