Animals in Children of Men

Rating: 9/10 (4 November 2006)

All the important points about this film have been well covered by other reviewers, so I would like instead to draw your attention to a smaller sub text that is well worth keeping an eye on within the film's wider themes:
Animals are utilized in incredibly effective ways in this film, from the horror of watching piles of burning cattle carcasses in the countryside (drawing our attention to environmental / food disasters) to Theo's surreal encounter with a startled deer within a long abandoned school (reminding us we now exist in a world where the teaching of the next generation is no longer an issue). And of course domestic animals such as cats and dogs are shown everywhere, their presence as pets providing comfort for the children missing from everyone's lives.
Watching animals respond to Theo is something else again. I am sure I missed many of these small interactions because they often occurred during important scenes when my attention was focused on wider issues. But do watch for how pets react to him and follow him, often wanting to get as close to him as possible - for example, he invariably has a cat asleep behind him on the couch at Jasper's, and watch for the tiny kitten with sharp claws that determinedly climbs his trouser leg during a political meeting.
These interactions are never elaborated upon, nor can I recall if they featured in the original P D James' book. They can easily be missed as one gets caught up in the drama of the story. But I found they provided an excellent devise for moments of unexpected humour as well as insight into Theo's character, and most importantly revealed yet another example of the director's extraordinary attention to detail in this very impressive, and very moving, film.