Bleak and Frightening

Rating: 9/10 (22 October 2007)

I read this novel about five years ago, though it was written even earlier. I was intrigued that P. D. James, one of my favorite British mystery writers had written a Sci Fi dystopian novel. The book captivated me, but the movie made it hard to sleep. It is the stuff that we worry about. That when our culture ceases to reproduce, what is there to save and create and do for? The images are very documentary-like. The cinematography is outstanding, and the acting is simple and real. As you probably already know, anarchy has been unleashed on the world and the British government is trying to sustain its borders. This happens because for many years, women have been unable to produce children. I remember the Arthur C. Clarke book Childhood's End, which is a new epistemology, ala 2001: A Space Odyssey. This movie is down and dirty and much more realistic. What if a virus or some meddling with science could bring about this reality, would be react the way these cultures have, every man for himself. If there is a criticism, it would probably be that we don't get to the roots of the anarchy. It seems like an awfully short time for so much to have happened. This is one of the most thoughtful movies I've seen in some time. It has a real message and doesn't pull any punches.