The Breakdown of Humanity

Rating: 10/10 (19 March 2007)

The human race tends to believe that it will endure on, that our power to reproduce as much as we please will never cease. This is why Childdren of Men is so fascinating. The movie rarely pulls any punches on the heady topic of infertility, illustrating the wild panic and cynicism that would most likely overtake the populace.
Children of Men also produces an interesting quandary on the human condition. No matter what happens to us in the future, all of the last remaining vestiges of current society-greed, paranoia, racism, etc.-will never cease to die. I felt that was the boldest step in the film. Those that had the money were hanging onto their pathetic dreams of wealth and status while the world slowly decayed from the inside out.
I felt all of the performances in the film were quite amazing, and the lack of flash and panache from the cinematography aided in keeping you focused on the story and not the way it looked. Once again, Alfonso Cuaron has helped establish the power shift in creativity is coming from Mexico. Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) and Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) have provided the best cluster of Mexican-made films since Mexicos Golden Age of Cinema in the 1940s and 50s. Go and see this film, and you won't be disappointed.