Children of Men

Children of Men **** ½ I really liked this film. I am struggling when thinking of this film to separate my knowledge and love of the novel (which I first read in 1994 and have reread many times as one of my favourites of all time) from the story depicted in the film. First off, the film is only based on the novel and does not depict either the breadth of or the specific details of the novel; some key details in the relationships and characters are different, and much of the background of the world of 2027 – plagues, wars, the immigrant situation – is either left out or only briefly touched on. But the 2 main points – that mankind is infertile and civilization has descended into chaos and decay – are central to the film, with the later point portrayed in wonderful tragic ways. It was awesome/awful to see the world as we know it – schools, coffee shops, banks – after 20 years of abandonment. Bleak, gray, overgrown, the world is decrepit and the remaining humans seem like a miserable lot. Visually, the film is stunning – the desolation is made so vivid and real. At one point, the film takes on the feel of a documentary, as blood and dirt are splashed on the camera lens that is following Theo through a battlefield, and those splashes remain a part of the images for a few long tough minutes.The magnitude and impact of complete human infertility is not emphasized enough, so part of the point of the story is missing, making the ending more absent of the hope that should be restored here. The performances are also good, especially Clive Owen and Pam Ferris (as Miriam). Clive Owen is good as the despondent depressed Theo, although his motives for getting involved with “The Fishes” is unclear, as the chemistry between Julianne and him was not great. One thing I did not like much was the music; absent for much of the film, the inclusion of some rather harsh but in appropriate songs was distracting. Overall, I really liked this film – I was moved, surprised, intrigued, awestruck, and fascinated by it, and recommend it, not least for the post-film conversations that can be had after viewing that speculative look at the near future.