Children Of Men

Released: 2006

Directed By: Alfonso Cuaron

Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore

Certificate: 15

Reviewed By: Darryl Griffiths

London with an ‘anarchy reigns supreme’ mentality. Don’t worry everyone, i’m not about to embark on a riot joke spree! The cause for such chaos.. the world being in a state of limbo due to the widespread infertility of its female inhabitants. A terrifying idea for a premise, but is thoroughly examined and impressively realised by critically acclaimed director Alfonso Cauron, in this futuristic thought provoker.

The film paints a bleak picture and sets out its stall early on. Its the year 2027 and the capital is in a state of shock as news reports confirm the youngest person on planet Earth has passed away. Attacks throughout the city resembling recent terrible acts of terrorism send shockwaves through the community or arguably the lack of, none more so than our key protagonist Theo Faron (Clive Owen). His miserable nature is the epitome of the mood in the current climate.

His cause is not helped, when he is abruptly abducted by a group led by an old flame in the form of Julian (Julianne Moore). With Chiwetel Ejofor’s Luke being her enforcer, they convince Theo to undertake a daunting task. This task is centred around a shocking secret that Kee played by (Claire-Hope Ashitey) is desperate to keep under wraps and due to such measures, needs to leave the country. Along the way, Theo risks life and limb of himself and other contacts he has such as Michael Caine’s satirical hippie Jasper to succeed, regaining a sense of optimism and hope about the future as a result..

There is no denying here that Cauron has crafted a cinematic vision that is startling but by the same token horrifying in its realism, which only enhances the quality of the innovatively shot and impressive action sequences. One grand highlight is a high stakes and bombastic sequence resembling a warzone involving Kee and Theo where there is not a single break in the shooting of the scene. Props to the cinematographer for that!

The only fault that could be levelled at the film is its ambiguous style handling of the subject matter, as we never truly find out why the world is now suffering from infertility. But thankfully, this doesn’t deter from a breathtaking and engaging depiction of a world where society is under great threat. A thriller, with its brain firmly intact and includes on form performances in abundance.