DIR: Alfonso Cuarón • WRI: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby • PROD: Marc Abraham, Eric Newman, Hilary Shor, Iain Smith, Tony Smith • DOP: Emmanuel Lubezki • ED: Alex Rodríguez • DES: Jim Clay, Geoffrey Kirkland • CAST: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine
The not too distant future…humans are infertile…the end is nigh…etc…
Forget the taglines. In essence, this is the story of one man, weary of a world he could not change, who finds cause for hope and purpose in his life. The environs of global catastrophe, suppressive autocratic governments, etc. have been pompously employed in many recent films. Here, they merely form the backdrop against which is played out the struggle of the unwilling hero, but are never allowed to take centre stage.
Clive Owen plays an ex-revolutionary who is now, in his own words, 'too successful to care'. With no child born for eighteen years, the world collapsing around him, and still mourning the death of his own child, he finds the prospect of oblivion almost comforting. While some major actors take minor roles, the focus of the film is squarely on Owen. And, to his credit, he carries it well.
The premise of Children of Men is neither new nor extraordinary. However, its execution is, at times, mind-blowing. The editors of this film were not overburdened, as several major scenes are delivered in breathtaking uncut sequences. The result is an intoxicatingly visceral experience, sucking in the viewer who is totally engulfed by the action.
'Vision-of-the-future' films can often be trite and predictable affairs, but this film wisely avoids getting bogged down in overzealous and un-entertaining socio-political rhetoric, instead focusing on the characters and their journey. As cinematic entertainment, this film is top notch.
Eamonn Gray
Children of Men is released on 22nd September 2006.
