A new science fiction film from acclaimed Mexican director Alfonso Cuar¢n begs the question of what would happen if all earth’s women suddenly and mysteriously became infertile.”Children of Men” jettisons the plot particulars of P.D. James’ source novel, save the central conceit, but the film maintains the book’s sense of dumbfounded hopelessness and loss.
Theo (Clive Owen) lives this despair on a daily basis. A former political activist turned defeated, low-level bureaucrat, he feels like his whole existence is a pointless perpetual hangover; Theo spends his free time smoking, gambling and drinking to excess – anything to momentarily alleviate the numbness.
When Theo’s ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) gets Theo to supply transit papers for a refugee girl named Kee (splendid newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey, saddled with a sometimes impenetrable island accent), he thinks little of it besides a chance to make a few extra pounds and potentially have a tumble with his ex-missus. Kee, however, carries a secret that will change his plans. She’s “the miracle the world’s been waiting for” – she’s pregnant.
Theo and company must get Kee to The Human Project, a mythical, possibly non-existent commune of scientists working together to find cures and answers for the future.
“Children of Men” captures that furtive hope with an ambiguity that will satisfy both optimists and pessimists.
This is a film full of contradictions and loose ends. Lovers of plot and those who enjoy untangling the layered conspiracies of some dense sci-fi narratives may be disappointed by its lack of answers, closure and spelled-out character motivations, but fans of more experimental storytelling can let themselves be carried away by Cuar¢n’s haunting film.
“Children of Men” is a movie to get lost in, so vivid and engaging in the moment, yet with so much to say, which it does without ever forcing its hand, and with so much to think about afterwards that it wears lightly yet with such understated power.
Cuar¢n’s presentation of this vision of the future is winningly straightforward, and the world of his film is almost blisteringly alive. The script simply takes for granted that this future world is old-hat reality and runs with it, with little time for exposition. Computer technology has advanced from current standards, but in believable, functional ways. Cuar¢n keeps underscore to a minimum, relying on ambient noise to draw focus into scenes, using quiet to make viewers uneasy and ratchet up the tension in moments of suspense. The result is a rarity in science-fiction, the feeling of catching life, messy and unpredictable, as it is happening before one’s eyes.
The art direction is impeccable, impressive without feeling needlessly showy, sometimes symbolic without ever feeling pretentious. When Theo visits an “Ark of the Arts,” it’s no accident that he catches himself staring at Michelangelo’s David, the epitome of the masculinity now obsolete without the ability to reproduce, though Cuar¢n has too steady a hand to dwell on Theo’s observation for more than a second.
The performances add to the reality as well, from Caine’s wearied-but-still-kicking rebelliousness to Chiwetel Ejiofor’s conflicted resistance fighter to Owen’s sober, film-anchoring lead. Owen only has a few moments to let out his cynical character’s well of bottled-up emotions, and he nails them.
Perhaps the greatest behind-the-scenes achievement, though, in this technically outstanding film is that of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose every frame is a unique and considered work of art, an even greater achievement because his shots are almost never static. He films as much as he can with handheld cameras and natural lighting, shooting from eye level to make the camera part of the action. It moves with the performers, adding urgency to their actions, discovering things about settings and situations as the characters do.
Without hyperbole, it is fair to say that two of Lubezki’s shots will go down in film history as masterpieces, both of them unbroken shots of such complexity and technical wizardry that even savvy cineastes will be baffled by their execution. One spins around the interior of a moving automobile as Theo and crew get ambushed on a backwoods highway, as the car goes forwards, backwards, stops, restarts, replete with pyrotechnics, stunts, difficult performances from the leads, visual effects of blood and breaking glass – and never once do any of the strings show. The equally impressive other, the film’s climax, follows Theo through the battle-torn streets of the refugee camp to the second floor of a hospital that is being blown apart by gunfire and tank shells.
Cuar¢n and his cinematographer create astonishing sequences and moments together, bruising and lyrical, with images dreamlike in their intensity; they simply refuse to leave the mind.
“Children of Men” is awe-inspiring in its scope for the large and for the small. It’s about the hypocrisy of modern political mandates and the seeming inevitability of mankind’s self-destruction, but, in its most tranquil moments, it’s also about the reawakening of long-lost faith, the dignity of dying in the right, the simple pleasures of dry clothes, walking a dog and listening to the wind rushing through forest treetops.
CHILDREN OF MEN
Universal Pictures
Rated R
STARRING:
Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine
THE VERDICT:
Alfonso Cuar¢n’s adaptation of P.D. James’ novel uses innovative cinematography, a pervasive ambience and unique performances to deliver one of the most original sci-fi films in years
4/4 stars.