Review: 'Children of Men' evokes apocalyptic thought

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón

Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Peter Mullan

Rated: R

By now, even the casual moviegoer is familiar with the “post-apocalyptic” scenario.

From 1924’s “The Last Man on Earth” – a guy in the Ozarks is the only fertile man left on the planet – to the 1964 film of the same name (different plot), to the “Mad Max” series, the formula has always focused on the days following a cataclysmic event to end the world as we knew it.

Recent additions to the cinematic canon are “28 Days Later” – a homage to George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead” – and the laughable “The Day After Tomorrow.” The scene with the ocean liner easing down the streets of Manhattan was pretty cool, but “Day After” stretched the limits of the viewer’s willingness to suspend disbelief.

One of the best

The newest film in this vein, “Children of Men,” is one of the best. It’s based on the novel by P.D. James, but the screenplay has strayed far from that source material.

The film is classified as science fiction, but the crux is that of a political thriller.

It’s 2027 and, for a reason unstated, women on Earth have become sterile. This quirk of nature creates social, political and personal ramifications.

Humankind is obviously on the fast track to becoming extinct. And people are not reacting very mannerly.

The Siege of Seattle has entered its 1,000th day. It’s noted that “only Britain soldiers on,” but that empire is now a war zone in perpetual lockdown. In a nod to past and present xenophobia, illegal immigrants – seen as public enemies of the first order – are unceremoniously rammed into detention camps. The scenario invokes memories of World War II.

Things get worse when it’s announced that the youngest person on the planet – born in 2009 – has died. As the last Earthling born, Baby Diego was a celebrity with rock star status. That he was killed by a misguided fan stirs up memories of another fallen icon.

Theo (Clive Owen) is a disheartened agent for Britain’s Ministry of Energy. His ex-lover Julian (Julianne Moore) is working with an underground resistance group with a mission to save “fugees” (illegal immigrants) from the torture and humiliation thrust upon them by the government as a way of distracting the masses.

Julian enlists Theo’s help in transporting a young girl, Kee, out of harm’s way.

There is a lot more to Kee (played by an actress to be watched, Clare-Hope Ashitey) than Julian first reveals. The young woman is eight months pregnant.

Theo, Julian and a group of rebels set about getting Kee to an underground utopian sanctuary known as The Human Project. But some hitches develop.

Much like in “Citizen Ruth,” which dealt with the abortion rights issue, the players on both sides of the fence want to use Kee for their own gain. Neither side really gives a damn about her, other than to further their political agenda.

Some of those involved, The Human Project among them, are ultimately altruistic.

One is Theo’s old friend Jasper (Michael Caine) who lives in a finely kept house, deep in the woods of Britain. He’s an old hippie of the first order, a former political cartoonist who smokes a lot of pot, listens to 2027-era rap music and takes great delight in being subversive in any way he can.

On the flip side, Theo’s cousin, Nigel (Danny Huston), is a government official who has officially given up worrying about tomorrow. He’s a fatalist of the first order and lives among rescued artistic masterpieces including Michelangelo’s “David,” which is currently missing one leg. Nigel merely wants to be comfortable during what he knows are mankind’s final hours.

Director notes

Alfonso Cuarón is one of the current crop of directors shaping early 21st century cinema. Never one to make the same film twice, he began his career with the children’s film “A Little Princess,” then gave us “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” the most erotic major motion picture in recent memory (it’s also the highest grossing Spanish language film ever released in the U.S.)

And how did he follow that? With an installment of the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

With “Children of Men,” Cuarón has made his best film yet. The story elements he combines – science fiction, political drama, personal responsibility – make for a compelling, thought-provoking piece. The choices he makes cinematically, from the gray-toned look of the main action to the almost casual horrors portrayed in background scenes, deserve more than a casual viewing.

See it twice at a minimum, and plan on buying the DVD.

These events will likely not come to pass, but something will. And the film is a haunting vision of a not-so-distant future.

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.