!Review may contain spoilers!
Playing out in a dystopian future, Children of Men,based on the novel by P.D. James, says everything worth mentioning, as humanity is faced with it's own mortality. Clive Owen is Theo, a man who's lost his faith in life and is content to sleepwalk through his days. By chance or fate, he is given a purpose--protect Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), the first pregnant woman in the past 18 years.
Children of Men does a wonderful job in capturing the essence of such a catastrophe. Countries topple, governments call marshal law to reduce hysteria, anti-government and political groups form, people fight and die for an overall lost cause, industries for suicide and mass anti-depressants open up, people cling to their religions to pray and finger point, and every single person must deal with the situation in their own way. In the midsts of the chaos, Kee and her unborn child are a symbol of hope, as well as a lightning rod for political ideologues.
The acting is above par in most instances. All the main roles are flawlessly played out, but at times, supporting roles seem more like caricatures than people. Questioning the slights of over dramatic acting, two conclusions arise: bad acting or reasonable reaction. Considering suspension-of-disbelief was not broken because of this slight; conclusion is reasonable reaction. Who wouldn't go a little crazy when the end of the human race rides on one's own death?
Of special note is the Directing (
Alfonso Cuaron) and Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki). Filmed in very abysmal greys and blues, the overall feel is of an oppressed world, a society on the edge of extinction. Adding to the realism is the hand-held camera work by George Richmond, which is superb and well thought out; it engrosses the viewer into the very moment. One could almost feel the placement of each step and sense the racing heart beats and desperation. While some shots are static to help maintain a focus on dialogue and exposition, many scenes take on a documentary feel. Although this technique has been done ad nauseum in recent years, here it is perfectly integrated into the film so as not to distract but to involve. The film also includes a few startling and impressively long scenes with no visible cuts, clever camera positioning, and subtle use of special effects.
Many of the actions done and topics mentioned may not be popular, and as a whole, no one will find Children of Men a fairy tail. The violence and the rational for the violence is not over the top and never hushed. The social commentary is also hard and unkind, but there's bits lightness and occasionally gentle gestures--quite fitting, coming from the children of men.
