Review of Children of Men

Introduction

It`s 2027 and the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Infertility is now the order of the day, the last baby born to humans some eighteen years previous. The youngest person in the world is treated as a major celebrity by an older generation that can only remember the sound of young children`s voices. As a result the world has grown ever more cynical and repressed as the implications of no children sinks in. And thus begins this adaptation of a novel by PD James, a name only familiar to me via televisual adventures of telly tec Adam Dalgleish.

England in 2027 is a depressing place. Immigration is deemed illegal and all those caught are held in mass cages on the streets and railway platforms. Armed soldiers roam the streets to uphold whichever version of law now exists in this fascist state, with England seemingly the only country that still exists in a nation state form in the world. The majority of people live in squalor with dentistry now relegated to the use of pliers on a street corner (which is how I kind of imagine it anyway regardless of the pristine surgeries and white uniforms…). Against this backdrop, a myriad of political and religious groups spring up and try to make their points publically.

One of these groups is the Fishes, an activist group who believe in the rights of immigrants and who were blamed by the English government for the attack on the café in the opening sequence. The leader of the Fishes is Julian (Julianne Moore) who tries to recruit ex-husband Theo Faron (Clive Owen) for a mission of importance. The two have a history of activism but the death of their only child in a flu pandemic drove them apart and on different journeys. Whilst Julian is more politically active than is safe, Theo has been driven to drink and a mind-numbingly boring job. Still, Julian believes that Theo is the right man for the job, despite the concerns of her Fishes companions.

The job they have in mind is to escort Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to the coast where a boat from the fabled Human Project will transport her to safety. Why is this mission so important? Kee just so happens to be pregnant as well as an illegal immigrant. Julian fears that the English government will seize the baby when it`s born and hand it over to a cultured English woman and claim it for the country. Theo really couldn`t care less at first, just wanting the money promised him in order to do the job.

Then something changes. On the way out to a Fishes hideout in the country, the car is ambushed and Julian is killed. This devastates Theo and he is slightly confused by the actions of Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor). All becomes much clearer though, as late at night the betrayal of Julian becomes clears and the motivations of the Fishes seem to be more about using the baby as a symbol for an uprising against the government than as a symbol of hope for the future of mankind.

Theo escapes with Kee and nurse Miriam (Pam Ferris), but it would appear that nowhere is safe with the Fishes hot on their heels.

Video

Very dull and colour muted 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture, the near-future in England is grimy and well-worn, sort of like suburban ghetto times 100 hitting the high street. It helps to convey that mainstream society has broken down and that many people are simply going through the motions, walking obliviously to whatever fate awaits them.

The overall tone is of a country in mass morning after the death of `baby` Diego, reflecting the tone after the death of the Princess of Wales. Contrast this with scenes in the country with burning piles of cows that are eerie reminders of a time when England was in the midst of the foot and mouth epidemic. Some of the visual touches aren`t quite as gloomy though, witness the Pink Floyd reference in the inflatable pig at Battersea Power Station (which in this future is the home for great pieces of art rescued from a dying world).

The actual filming is in places like a documentary, long fluid takes are very much the order of the day here. Very impressive stuff, that again allows you to immerse yourself in the story a little more than the usual editing style would. This style garned Oscar nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Editing, beaten by Pan`s Labyrinth and The Departed respectively.

Audio

Well thought out sound design for this Dolby Digitial 5.1 Surround track whereby we are actually hearing everything that Clive Owen does. Therefore with his ears ringing after the initial explosion in London, we also hear the sound of his tinnitus. It`s well done and helps you immerse yourself into the journey being taken by Theo - the tinnitus returns later on as well…

What is worrying is that I found the music listened to by Jasper and linked to his alarm to be extremely loud and annoying. I`m clearly getting old…

Good selection of subtitles on the main feature, just a shame that none were included on the extras.

Features

Men Under Attack - superb look at how Alfonso Cuarón got the long fluid takes he thought were required for the more documentary style of filming he wanted. Looks in particular at the mass co-ordination of extras and vehicles for the opening explosion sequence and the rather technically brilliant car ambush sequence.

The Possibility of Hope - quite possibly the worst extra I`ve ever seen. Seems to just be a collection of philosophers randomly wittering on about how we`re all going to die due to how we`ve messed up the planet.

Comments By Slavoj Zizek - er, yeah. See above (he`s in that too), but at least here he witters on about the film a bit more.

Deleted Scenes - short and rather meaningless

Theo & Julian - background to the two characters and their differing motivations

Futuristic Design - a look at the set design and overall visual look required by Cuarón

Creating The Baby - brief but fascinating explanation of how the visually stunning birth sequence was created with on-screen subtitles to explain what is happening

Conclusion

The future is bleak, the future is grimy and infertile. What`s not so shocking is that the future England depicted is only a couple of steps removed from the one we`re living in now. Homeland Security? Illegal immigrants rounded up and caged? It`s not that far off if you think about it, dependent on which steps we take in the near future. Cuarón`s vision of a future England as a fascist state isn`t that far removed from the likes of V For Vendetta either, just this is a slightly more realistic one with everything looking very worn down and well-used. It`s worth noting that this film received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, beaten by The Departed.

The casting in this film is superb, starting with journeyman actor Clive Owen. This is a superb role for him, probably the best I`ve seen him and yet his `action` role consists of him merely trying to survive and not touching a single gun despite their clear proliferation in the future. He plays Theo as a confused man of moral conviction, although initially they are dampened in the need for cash until his estranged wife is killed. This is the hero`s journey described by Christopher Vogler, with Theo`s character developing throughout until the rather bleak yet hopeful ending. What I particularly liked though is a hero who spends a third of the film`s running time in flip-flops, very amusing.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is as menacing as he was in Serenity, the ambitious usurper of Julian as leader of the Fishes, a man whose planned uprising against the English government hinges on using the first born child in 18 years as its symbol. Julianne Moore is also very good in what turns out to be a key but short role. My favourites though are two relatively minor roles, but ones that bring a chink of humour into an otherwise cold and bleak film. Michael Caine is superb as aging hippy cartoon artist Jasper, a pot smoking fiend with a penchant for heavy industrial music and a juvenile sense of humour. The only thing annoying about Jasper in my view is his insistence on calling Theo `amigo`, which sounds a little false but then Caine based this character on his friend John Lennon and presumably Lennon did the same thing. My other favourite character is homicidal security guard Syd (Peter Mullan), whose voice is so over the top and funny, that I`m sure his next line is going to be `wakey wakey` straight out of the Irn Bru ads.

I really enjoyed this film and I was hoping that a 2 disc edition would bring some solid extras to the table. There`s a lot of scope for some decent background info on both the making of the film and also the background to the story. Sadly, this film is let down badly by it`s extras with only a couple being worthwhile and nowhere near enough quality to justify the 2 disc Special Edition name.

Still, I`ll watch the film again and this is a decent British production. Recommended.