Children Of Men (2006) March 28, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Alfonso Cuarón
Dystopian futures have been done before in plenty of ways, but there’s a distinct lack of futuristic elements to this war-torn, ravaged, urban portrayal of England. Set in 2027, the film opens on a future where humankind is on the brink of extinction. No human child has been born in eighteen years and scientists cannot figure out why. The world is plagued by paranoia and chaos, with its only chance for saviour coming from an unlikely source.
Theo (Clive Owen) used to be a political activist, but now resides as a businessman in London. When he is suddenly forced to meet his ex wife, Julian (Julianne Moore), he knows everything is not going to be all right. She charges him with delivering Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to The Human Project; a group of humans looking to restart the civilized world. What Theo doesn’t realise is that Kee has in her possession the most important item on the planet: life. Against all the odds, she is pregnant.
Featuring a great central performance from Clive Owen who I still don’t think is ever that different but works well in a movie that plays to his strengths, namely the sly humour that his character displays with surprising regularity. Also providing strong turns are Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris and Michael Caine as an aging hippy activist who lives in a secluded area of the woods. His friendship with Theo provides some of the films most enjoyable moments.
The real star of the picture however, is the camera. Ducking, weaving, panning, following, there’s an unseen character in that lens and it puts you right in the action. Alfonso Cuarón has gone all-out to set-up some outstanding single-shot sequences, usually following Clive Owen around as he hides from the numerous people out to shoot him. Consequentially, it’s quite a visually arresting film and certainly not lacking in its fair share of violence either. But this is also the reason the story becomes such an engrossing watch, along with some awesome set design which helps to create the immersive world.
The script keeps the narrative driven scenes lively and, as mentioned, places quite a bit of wit into the otherwise desperate and downbeat situations. This is quite a risk and could easily have broken the atmosphere if over-emphasised. Luckily, the humour is fairly sly and bubbles just below the surface in a way that’s more than believable given the position of the two main characters.
Hailed as a triumph by many critics and deservedly so, although I think it’s more a triumph of execution than anything else. I can’t imagine the choreography that must have gone into some of the long takes, even if they did use some CG to put it together – there’s even a moment where the camera lens gets blood blown onto it during an explosion, but they just keep on rolling. A fascinating story with engaging cinematography let down slightly by being a tad predictable, especially in terms of the fate of anyone who tries to help the duo. A highly recommended watch even still, and an interesting take on a future we hope will never come.
Comments»
I completely agree. The camera work was mond-boggling at times. The single shot work in the car and the bomb sequence at the beginning were worthy of watching over and over. The plot played second fiddle.