Children of Men: A glimpse of what might be...

Films, in general, do not have much to say anymore. They simply go about their business of (trying to) entertain the audience. However, a film like Children of Men is a rare exception for it not only entertained but also attempted to take a deep philosophical look at the modern world and some of its issues.

In the year 2027 humans can no longer reproduce and society has begun to rip apart as extinction seems inevitable. However, hope is rekindled when a young woman becomes pregnant and the responsibility of keeping her safe from the numerous factions who want her unborn child fall upon a despondent government officer named Theo.

Director Alfonso Cuaron gave the audience a terrifying glimpse into the future, one where playgrounds and schools were devoid of children and refugees were tortured and kicked out of the last country not knee deep in anarchy (Britain). It was a bleak and nihilistic portrait, but the most disturbing thing was the realistic way in which it was presented. Given the fact that we as people are facing things such as global warming, Europe’s population becoming older with fewer young people, intolerances of all types flourishing and Armageddon still only the push of a button away, it is hard not to be the least bit dismayed every time someone turns on the news. Those disturbing facts we face everyday made it easy to relate to Theo (a wonderfully broken Clive Owen), a man who long ago lost faith and had only been drifting along in life thanks to a bottle of whisky. But he rediscovered that faith when he met up with Kee, the pregnant refugee. Through her and the baby growing inside of her, he hoped to find mankind’s second chance at peace in the midst of chaos. And even though Kee eventually gave birth to her child, Cuaron was not above indicting modern man and his propensity towards violence. In one of the most surreal scenes, the violence between the government and rebel forces finally spilled into the streets, erupting into some of the most gritty and intensely filmed urban combat seen. But when people caught sight of Kee and her child, the guns stopped and for just that moment life was about hope and change. But as soon as she and the baby moved out of range, the gunfire (symbolically) started up again with man killing man in the name of something neither of them could ever truly understand. Intelligent and significant, Children of Men is not to be missed.

Grade: A