A Rare Accomplishment in Film

Rating: 9/10 (7 October 2013)

Though I have already seen Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men prior to Thursday's viewing, I came to the realization that to truly appreciate the film's level of depth requires one to witness the picture multiple times and more. Before digging deep into the bowels of its impeccable technical aspect, I can't help but applaud the movie's fresh concept and setting where it presents a bleak and depressing future in which fertility is basically nonexistent assumingly due to humanity's irresponsible behavior towards the earth and our pursuit of self- interests. Clearly, the air lacks any pureness or freshness, and thus, it leaves us in a dystopian environment. There is absolutely nothing joyful in the film's content as you're forced to view sheer misery, hopelessness, and suffering. The world will never be the same, but the script occasionally allows for little humorous bits as if to indicate that happiness is still possible, and that some form of hope, whether miniscule or large, still remains where a smile can yet be sighted on a poor man's face.
Now, let's delve into the cinematography and mis-en-scene, specifically. One of the film's well-known and incredibly impressive traits is its use of unusually lengthy shots, and in a way, such a feat definitely revolutionized the way filmmakers shoot. Normally, film stock wouldn't allow for such duration, but even then, to film that long of a shot is unbelievably difficult, especially the way Cuaron engages it. For instance, there's a scene where we see the car (holding Theo, Luke, Julian, Joy, and Mirriam) proceeding through the woods and awaiting potential conflict as a burning car blockades their escape. Remarkably, that entire scene acts as one single shot, and a tamer film could use such extended shots in a much easier manner, but the greatest factor which makes this long-lasting shot/scene so amazing is the amount of events that transpire during its span: you see hundreds of people running towards their position, a burning car sliding down the hill, a motorcycle's spinning out of control, two cops being eliminated, and an important character unfortunately meeting a brutal death. In another scene, I marveled, scratched my head, and wondered how they could possibly pull off a whole graphic pregnancy scene in one single shot, descriptively capturing the baby's birth with the umbilical cord still connected and the baby covered in vernix and fluid. Were substantial CGI effects used- was the baby digitally recreated?
In regards to the mis-en-scene, the amount of effort extinguished into creating this disconsolate world is simply astonishing to an observant moviegoer; the filmmakers made sure to dirty up every corner and subtly mask every detail with a gloomy appearance. As a whole in its look and thematic material, the project is unquestionably ambitious and determined. On another significant note, Cuaron and his colleagues showcase extraordinary attention to detail in the film's subtlety when pertaining to the plot, themes, and overall progression. Green seems to be a recurring color throughout in a world otherwise infested with complete darkness or grayness (depends on the way you look at it), and in the world of literature, the color green represents hope, life, fertility, etc, and with that, every glance at a fresh tree or flowers reconstitutes hope and that potentiality of new life in a distant future.
Also, the film is seemingly riddled with biblical references. Theo starts his perilous journey as just a normal citizen being cast into a predicament, and there's a scene midway where Theo decides to supply his feet with sandals. The filmmakers could've written the scene so that Theo luckily discovers some standard sneakers or other footwear, but they go along with sandals. Immediately, this brings upon some religious imagery when recalling Jesus Christ's famous footwear. Before Theo comfortably fits the sandals for his feet, he noticeably sighs as if to give the impression that he's not prepared- in the slightest- for the journey he's about to embark on, but at that moment, he has no choice but to undertake a Christ-like path. And then at the very end, his death acts as a sacrifice for the hope of new life and happiness, again reestablishing Christian symbolism. With all that being said, Children of Men is doubtlessly a rare accomplishment in film- one that will continuously be studied down the line and hopefully become a classic that we revisit over and over again, uncovering something additional every time.