A film that blew me away

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2006)

It has been a long that a film like this has so pleasantly surprised me. Anyway, the plot is quite straightforward: It is the year 2027 and the world is in deep trouble. For around 18 years or so, no woman has given birth to a baby and nobody knows what is the cause of this infertility. The story takes place in a semi-totalitarian Britain where Clive Owen plays a reluctant hero who by his ex-wife (Julianne Moore), the leader of a resistance group known as The Fishes, is caught up in the events surrounding the rescue of a young immigrant woman who happens to be pregnant. I mentioned immigrant woman for in the British society in this film, all illegal immigrants are being hunted down and put into camps. Michael Cain also has a somewhat small role as a hippie who is a friend of Owen's character.
I have nothing more to say than wow when talking about this film. The concept is great and it is well executed. Cain, Owen, Moore and the few other main characters all put on top notch performances. They are believable and Cain I fond to be a big delight. Although the film takes place about 20 years in the future, everything doesn't seem all that futuristic. That however doesn't bother at all since the production designer went for a more rugged and broken down look which works excellently and adds to the mood of the film.
The direction, done by Alfonso Cuaron, is what I found to be the strongest aspect of this film. Together with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki they go for a very shock and awe approach. Everything feels fresh and shocking, a trait that is amplified even further when viewing this in a movie theater. You never know when somebody might get shot and when that person does, it happens then and there, blowing you away. The cinematography is beautiful. It is mostly long hand-held shots but fortunately those are quite stable hand-held shots. Never is there a sense of confusion that sometimes happens with other films where you can't tell what is going on. I especially adored the scenes of a battle between the resistance group and the army in the middle of which Owen is trying to escort the pregnant woman to safety. That was quite possibly one of the best battle scenes I've ever seen. The soundtrack relies a lot on characters in the film listening to music and not so much on music accompanying the action.
All I have to say is that I recommend this at all costs. 10/10