The essence of hope

Rating: 10/10 (14 January 2007)

Thinking about the near future is not the best way to cheer yourself up nowadays, with depictions of social and political unrest, rampant drug use, and all of the other "downers" that add up to paint a bleak and dreary picture. Suddenly out of the darkness comes hope.
Based on the science fiction novel by P.D. James, acclaimed director Alfonso Cuarón brings to the screen Children of Men. The story of how one man, one teenager, and one miracle can potentially bring hope to a world that is filled with fear, struggle, and war.
The year is 2027. The world has been struck with a terrible phenomenon. Women across the globe cannot procreate. To add to the chaos, the world's youngest living person has just died at the age of 18. Hope is a thing of the past and panic has replaced it.
A man who had hope once, Theodore Faron (Clive Owen), has just been reunited with her ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) but some rather drastic circumstances. He is made aware of a group of people called the Human Project whose main goal is to help better the quality of life and to somehow find a way to continue the world's population. All he is asked to do is to gain access across the isle with a girl so she can reach the Human Project.
Skeptical at first, he decides to go along with it after realizing what is afoot. The girl, Kee, is pregnant. The first child in over 18 years is about to be born and only a handful of people know about it. Theodore must travel past mounting obstacles, past all of the lies and deception, and try and help this girl and her soon to be born baby to reach her destination.
A very original plot for a much abused genre of film and literature. Of course, there are some aspects that are not too original like the government watching over everything and the military battling terrorists. Perhaps the most startling aspect of the story is the time in which it is taking place. There are no hover cars, no space cities, and no hologram projections. Much like Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, the world is very similar to today.
Cuarón's direction is powerful and oozing with emotion. At times, the camera is a character in the film. It moves amongst the characters as if a person were there along side, ready to jump in at any moment and contribute to the action going on. The shots are carefully constructed to show not just the main characters but also the devastation that is surrounding them.
Color in the film is practically missing. Clothes, buildings, environment, and people seem to blend in to this dreary and godforsaken world. A lot of earth tones and dull colors fill the screen, with the exception of those objects that are meant to be happy or important, like Jasper's home, and blood.
One aspect of today's world that is very important in the film is human emotion and the power of trust and friendship. The bonds that these people have to create to keep this girl alive show true human strength. Kee must trust Theo with her life and that of her unborn child. Theo has just met this girl but is willing to do what it takes to ensure that this baby is delivered into the world without harm, not just for Kee, or even himself. He must do this in the hope that the world will wake up and end this suffering.
What Cuarón has created is a perfect balance of emotions with an above average story. Children of Men is the kind of movie that sticks with you long after you leave the theatre or turn off the TV. Its power is felt not just during the film, but after, and therein lies its beauty.