Check Out the Trailer

I love smart sci-fi films. Heck, I’m a sucker for sci-fi in general. However, Alfonso Cuaron’s CHILDREN OF MEN is not your average sci-fi thriller; it tells of an apocalyptic future with an ingenious twist — man’s impending doom is rooted in the fact that humans can no longer reproduce.

Based on P.D. James’ novel, the year is 2027 and there hasn’t been a new baby born in 18 years. The youngest human on the planet — Baby Diego (Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi) — has been killed. Various countries including the U.S. have fallen into chaos. Thousands of refugees stream into countries that are more stable. One of those countries is Britain where illegals are rounded up in cages and shipped back out of the country.

In this setting, disillusioned former activist Theodore Faron (Clive Owen, CLOSER) is recruited by his ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore, BOOGIE NIGHTS), who is part of a refugee rebel organization, to obtain transport papers from his rich and politically connected brother Nigel (Danny Huston, THE PROPOSITION). Turns out the woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) who Theo is supposed to transport, is pregnant. Other key characters include Theo’s best friend, aging hippie Jasper Palmer (Michael Caine, DRESSED TO KILL), rebel leader Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS), corrupt soldier Syd (Peter Mullan, TRAINSPOTTING) and former midwife Miriam (Pam Ferris, TV’s ROSEMARY & THYME).

Dark, dilapidated futures are not uncommon to sci-fi, however Cuaron creates a near future, which is more rundown looking than our current world with a few more technological advances like digital billboards everywhere. It fells like a very plausible 2027. No rocket packs here. The story presents many questions, but allows us to form our own answers. The themes touch on many current hot button issues like immigration, pandemic disease, big brother and insurgent war. However, in a world where people have even forgotten what babies look like, the film’s chief statement is the miracle of a single life. In a war torn world, Cuaron powerfully reminds us the sanctity of a human being.

Yet, the new baby represents a lot of things to a lot of people and Theo must help Kee find the right path. Owen subtly moves Theo from a depressed man beaten down to a numb shell into a determined champion for what is right. The new baby represents hope and that’s what makes Theo come alive again. In such a sad world, Cuaron rightfully knows that humor must play a part. Caine’s Jasper is a hermit living in the woods with his nearly comatose wife, yet he has not lost his sense of humor or his hope for a better day. It’s his friendship that I believe has kept Theo alive. Caine, looking shocking like John Lennon, is funny, bringing needed energy and light to every scene he is in.

Cuaron even finds surprising places for humor like during Theo’s escape from the rebel farm. What an ingenious sequence. As for Cuaron’s style, he uses interesting camera angles to enhance the oppressive gloom of his world. Additionally, he builds the action steadily making the situation graver and graver until we reach one unbroken shot that lasts nine minutes. This shot is no gimmick; it adds the perfect chaotic feel to the moment when everything seems to be spiraling out of control. Cuaron, who edited the film along with Alex Rodriguez, paces the film perfectly, truly allowing form to mirror the mood of the story.

This intelligent tale is the best sci-fi film I’ve seen since THE MATRIX. It’s equally thrilling and poignant. This is one of the absolute best films of the 2006.