Cuarón Delivers Greatness

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2016)

Children of Men tells the story of a dystopian future ravaged by chaos and uncertainty. Women can mysteriously no longer give birth, which results in an almost complete societal collapse. Britain manages to cling to civility through systematic oppression, deportation of foreigners, and use of military force within their borders. Despite being the only stable country left in the world, tensions are high and unrest is unavoidable.
Theo (Clive Owen) is an ordinary man placed under extraordinary circumstances. A former political activist turned complacent cog in the machine, Theo risks everything for the pursuit of a better tomorrow. He's an unassuming and perfectly mortal hero, yet oddly resourceful. He puts on a callous and unemotional front, but we can plainly see his hidden optimism. Plagued by a difficult past, it's easy to see how he has arrived at his present self.
Julian (Julianne Moore) leads a rebel group fighting for equal rights for foreigners within Britain. We're gradually introduced to her complicated past with Theo and shown why he's the sole person she trusts. Despite a small role, we're left with a lasting impact by her character.
Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) is the first pregnant women in eighteen years. She's a foreigner who has been keeping her pregnancy a secret for eight months. She simply wants what's best for her and her baby, but we come to realize that not everyone shares the same underlying motives for her child.
From a technical perspective Alfonso Cuarón has achieved near perfection. Despite a lack of critical acclaim during its initial release, Children of Men will undoubtedly go down as one of the great movies of the early twenty-first century, and will certainly be studied for decades to come. We notice an abundance of long tracking shots that allow us to explore the world Cuarón has created. This includes a six- minute, eighteen-second epic (!) as we're led through a wasteland in the heat of battle. The shot concludes with one of the most humanizing experiences in recent cinematic memory. We're often pulled away from the protagonist and introduced to a world of pain and suffering. The attention to detail within this world is unmatched. Overall, Cuarón and his supporting team have created a modern masterpiece.