Children of Men

There are very few movies in this world that I will even consider watching more than once. There are even fewer movies in which I recommend, and even fewer that I, yes, cry in. Children of Men breaks all three of those barriers.

It is a movie of “what if?” Set in the year 2027, all women have ceased to give birth. The world is plunged into a state of chaos leaving all governments in ruin along with any glimmer of hope for the future. The British Isles stand alone as the only remaining intact government. With everyone in the world attempting to find a safe place, Britain is forced to forcibly remove any immigrants for fear of losing control to overpopulation.

In all of this, we see Clive Owen trying to live his life with machine gun police lining the streets and terrorist bombings an everyday occurrence. While attempting to live out his seemingly meaningless life, he gets caught up in the discovery of the first birth in 18 years and attempts to aid her in her journey to a boat safe haven in the Atlantic.

I love this movie. Indeed I love What If? films, and yes, I love Clive Owen, but what I love about this film is its willingness to not parade the future around you nor leave you asking questions about technology or history. It simply leaves you with humanity, people and their actions. We see people acting out of fear for their lives; we see people wallowing in the demise of their nationalities and even see a young spoiled generation who simply don’t care. The horror of all these people and their choices is what stuns viewers and makes them question themselves and their own priorities.

Not only were the performances of the film chilling, art direction and cinematography were worth study. Kyle noticed that there were cats in safe places while Jesse was annoyed at all the barking dogs. The most noticeable element of the film was the long takes, there were several. At one point there is a powerful war scene in which there was a six and a half minute take. You don’t even notice as you can’t take your eyes off Clive and the horror of his surroundings.

The club’s reception to this movie was warm, granted, as warm as a grotesque societal looking glass can be. Jesse was worried before watching the movie because he had read the book and found it even more horrifying and hopeless. Valerie spent the last five minutes of the movie and into the credits with her hand over her mouth.

All in all, this movie is fantastic, just one possible picture of a world without hope. Glad I don’t have to worry about that. Ten out of ten stars for me.