Every now and then, a movie comes along which keeps you enthralled from the first minute right up until the end credits roll. Children Of Men does this, and keeps you thinking, well after you leave the cinema.
From the starting sequence, where we see the result of a society where no children have been born in just over 18 years. The death of the “youngest person alive,” juxtaposed with the terrorist attack which narrowly misses the hero, Theo, (“If you took cream and sugar, my friend, you might not be here now”), and the dystopian London that we see glimpses of demonstrate how bad a world without the voices of children would be.
I didn’t really know what I was expecting going into this film, I had some visions of a Science Fiction feature, but wasn’t really ready for what ensued. Future Britain (2027) has become the last bastion of civilisation. America and Europe have both fallen into disarray, and with a huge influx of Fugees (refugees), the Department of Homeland Security (UK) have taken to incarcerating, and perhaps terminating all of the illegal immigrants.
The beauty of this film is that it is an entirely plausible future. The culture of fear that the Western Governments are already peddling regarding different people and their status as terrorists has in some places already resulted in riots where the dominant culture has actively sought out people from a particular ethnic background and targeted them with violence.
When Theo goes to meet with his cousin, who lives in the secure, gated section of London, we are exposed to the hypocrisy that is already present in our cultures. Whilst in Greater London, and the rest of Britain, foreigners are quickly caged, removed and shipped off to somewhere else, the parklands in the inner sanctum have Zebras and Camels, led and ridden by people of non-anglo background. Similar to how in the days immediately following September 11th 2001, when the rich oil sheiks were permitted to fly out of the USA, even though it was their cousin that was the mastermind behind the attacks.
Without spoiling too much, Theo, excellently portrayed by Clive Owen, has a somewhat shadowy background. His ex-wife, an American and therefore an illegal immigrant, is the head of a terrorist group, and kidnaps him to ask him transport a young woman, Kee, to the coast. It’s pretty evident she is the first pregnant woman in over 18 years, and when the transport goes pear-shaped, Theo and Kee are on the run.
What’s fantastic, even though there is a significant amount of violence, is how gripping this film is. You don’t realise until after the movie finishes just how involved in this film you have become. As Theo wanders around miraculously avoiding bullets, you are literally on the edge of you seat. Ignoring the deep political, philosophical and social statements, the action and tension in this film will keep you entranced and enthralled for the full 109 minutes. If you only see one film this year, make sure it is Children of Men.
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