a political film worth loving

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2007)

Watching Children of Men was a real wake up call for me. Superb set design, an adult approach to character development, precise and enjoyable performances, gripping premise. But the slap in the face was realising that this was a mainstream film with something to say politically, and the confident manner in which it said it. futuristic films are notoriously fraught with dodgy inventions, bizarre social foibles and a sense that even the actors are sniggering at what's going on around them. Children of Men is a window opened wide upon the genre, a film that dares to treat its audience as thinking, imaginative beings, ones involved and curious as to the world around them. "What could happen if we carry on this way?" is played out on screen in a way that focuses on personal reaction to events and what happens to a society that has lost hope and placed its faith in repression, order and brutality. Go rent it if you need a shot in the arm, if you want to believe in the potential of cinema again.