Connoisseurs' favourite

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2007)

(Watched in Toronto)
"Children of men" has all the markings of a connoisseur's favourite, without having an overly indie or art house feel. If you have seen "28 days later", you can't help noticing the similarity in many ways  global pandemonium (unlike many others, neither is post-nuclear-war), British setting, protagonists constantly on the run, menacing barbaric hordes, an ultimate, utopia-like destination to escape from the dying world, with hopes of rebuilding a new world. The unique thing about "Children of men" is the desperate situation of global sterilisation (cause never explained), as a result of which a pregnancy and subsequent childbirth becomes the centre of a vortex of power struggle.
Much have been said in the Comments and Messages Boards about the filming techniques  the long take, the hand-held camera, special colouring and texture of the visual, deliberate minimum editing, compelling sound  and there's little that I can add. The fact that Alfonso Cuaron is among the 5 directors winning in the some 20 critics awards says much (with two wins, he actually ranks third in this series of awards that is dominated by Martin Scorsese with 12, followed by Paul Greengrass with 4).
Acting is splendid. Versatile Clive Owen is effective as the stumbling, reluctant hero in an unsolicited quest to escort the pregnant girl, and later mother (composed, confident performance by new comer Claire-Hope Ashitey), to safety. Two big names, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine, as ex-girlfriend/resistance leader and ex-flower-power friend, have rather brief appearances but make disproportionately significant contributions to the movie. Romantic (thing "Love actually" and "Melinda and Melinda") Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a militant activist who can be both deadly cool and explosively hot.
Mostly grim, at times almost religiously prophetic, this movie is not without it's fun moments, particularly with its dry and sometimes dark humour, as in one of the escape scenes when it takes an eternity to jump-start the escape vehicle.