A brilliant thriller

Rating: Null/10 (28 April 2007)

Alfonso Cuaron has created a clever and moving rendition of a very British P.D. James novel about a dystopic not-so-future world. Famous for her intelligent police procedural novels, James devised a story set only 20 years into the future in which for unknown reasons all the women on earth have become infertile. As the world turns to violence and chaos, the British settle under an oppressive dictatorship while awaiting extinction.
The casting is near perfect. Clive Owen as Theo turns from a world-weary bureaucrat into a hunted man and maybe the first true 21st century protagonist embodying both the pathos and passive aggression of a modern culture built on office politics and water cooler intrigue. The characters he meets along the way  his ex-wife, the rebel "fish," the refugees who come to his aid, and an old friend and aging hippie (played by an unrivaled Michael Caine, who is only growing better with age) are all succinctly and ingeniously realized.
The film successfully demonstrates the fragility of humanity in the face of a tyrannical protectorate, who often do more to create than oppose violence. Without extending its reach into the realm of agenda film-making, its themes feel alarmingly topical and raw, from subtle commentary about immigration to homeland security. The film never makes a statement at the expense of the story or becomes "about" political meaning. It's voice remains uniquely centered on humanity and the emotional truth of the characters.
Cuaron has turned a fairly rare novel into a modern screen gem without polluting the original concept. If anything, he adds an immediacy and intense realism to the source material. He is a very smart and intensely interesting filmmaker and I'm sure we will be seeing even greater works from him in the future, which may not be so far away after all.