October 3, 2006
Children of Men is such a dark and dingy film, and rings so worryingly true with life in early 21st century England, that those who see it may be forgiven for spending at least half an hour afterwards wandering around in a state of aloof and weary apathy. However, a cup of tea and a cigarette later, it's possible to locate a smattering of sunshine in this tough and cynical movie, and the concluding message becomes one of hope, if not necessarily optimism.
The year is 2027, the setting a carbon-clogged, quasi-totalitarian London where illegal immigrants are kept in on-street cages, women cannot conceive, and anti-government terrorists detonate bombs on Oxford Street. All in all, it's not dissimilar to the London of today, except the air quality is even worse, the presence of propaganda-pushing public TV screens is just that littlest bit more pronounced, and the fact that the policies and beliefs of government are at odds with the people is no secret. The narrative centre of the film is Theo (Owen, giving the performance of his career), an office worker and alcoholic who, upon an encounter with an old girlfriend (Moore) - who, it transpires is the mother of his (now dead) child - find himself at the centre of a plot to help a young refugee to safety. What makes this “fugee” so special is that she is the first woman in 18 years to be pregnant.
The story here is of course an old one. Ever since Orwell unleashed 1984 on a startled and unsuspecting public way back in the 50s, writers and filmmakers have been re-inventing this tale, or something derived from it, to within an inch of its life. Recent examples, of variable quality, would include 28 Days Later, Code 46, and V for Vendetta. However, as powerful and unnerving as 28 Days may be the first time round, its impact diminishes over repeated viewings, and it tapers down into a fairly run of the mill horror film. V for Vendetta is powerful and occasionally harrowing, but it too has a semi-fantastical quality that prevents it from being truly disturbing. Children of Men, on the other hand, is kitchen sink and proud of it. It’s as if Cuaron has taken the London of Ken Loach’s Poor Cow and thrust it 60 odd years down the line. It’s a visually punchy and hauntingly scored (if occasionally a little meandering in pace) film, and no less down to earth for it.
Although Moore is as good as ever and even Caine manages to be less irritating than usual as the closest thing to a hippy that this choked out world allows, the standout is Owen. He’s the anchor in this chaotic and filth-ridden nightmare, the emotional core that pushes the story to the heart and gut. And so it is that humanity prevails: an ordinary everyman of our times doing what he can for someone in need doesn’t seem like much to build the future of humanity on, but aside from the fact that every little helps and the point is to try, it's probably a fairly realistic imagining of what would happen in a situation like this.
The year is 2027, the setting a carbon-clogged, quasi-totalitarian London where illegal immigrants are kept in on-street cages, women cannot conceive, and anti-government terrorists detonate bombs on Oxford Street. All in all, it's not dissimilar to the London of today, except the air quality is even worse, the presence of propaganda-pushing public TV screens is just that littlest bit more pronounced, and the fact that the policies and beliefs of government are at odds with the people is no secret. The narrative centre of the film is Theo (Owen, giving the performance of his career), an office worker and alcoholic who, upon an encounter with an old girlfriend (Moore) - who, it transpires is the mother of his (now dead) child - find himself at the centre of a plot to help a young refugee to safety. What makes this “fugee” so special is that she is the first woman in 18 years to be pregnant.
The story here is of course an old one. Ever since Orwell unleashed 1984 on a startled and unsuspecting public way back in the 50s, writers and filmmakers have been re-inventing this tale, or something derived from it, to within an inch of its life. Recent examples, of variable quality, would include 28 Days Later, Code 46, and V for Vendetta. However, as powerful and unnerving as 28 Days may be the first time round, its impact diminishes over repeated viewings, and it tapers down into a fairly run of the mill horror film. V for Vendetta is powerful and occasionally harrowing, but it too has a semi-fantastical quality that prevents it from being truly disturbing. Children of Men, on the other hand, is kitchen sink and proud of it. It’s as if Cuaron has taken the London of Ken Loach’s Poor Cow and thrust it 60 odd years down the line. It’s a visually punchy and hauntingly scored (if occasionally a little meandering in pace) film, and no less down to earth for it.
Although Moore is as good as ever and even Caine manages to be less irritating than usual as the closest thing to a hippy that this choked out world allows, the standout is Owen. He’s the anchor in this chaotic and filth-ridden nightmare, the emotional core that pushes the story to the heart and gut. And so it is that humanity prevails: an ordinary everyman of our times doing what he can for someone in need doesn’t seem like much to build the future of humanity on, but aside from the fact that every little helps and the point is to try, it's probably a fairly realistic imagining of what would happen in a situation like this.