by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
The end of the world has been a fear of humanity’s since the beginning. Children of Men explores and exploits this fear, giving viewers a cold, hard look at a version of the future that’s downright terrifying. Children of Men is now available on DVD.
It’s 2027 and for nearly 20 years humans have been unable to reproduce. The youngest child in the world, an 18 year old man, was recently killed and despair has taken over. England is the last “civilized” nation on Earth and refugees from far and wide have been pouring into the city, causing the government to crack down on immigration and place illegals in brutal camps where they struggle for survival. A resistance group, known as the “Fishes,” has been fighting for immigrant rights and their past aggressive campaigns have made them terrorists in the eyes of the government. Amid all this chaos is an apathetic bureaucrat named Theo Faron (Clive Owen), who long ago hung up his activist boots in exchange for a quiet existence and a quick death. His plans for self-destruction come to a halt when the head of the Fishes, his ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore), asks him for a favor: use his connections to get a young African refugee named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) a travel permit. Theo relents, but the papers stipulate that he must accompany the girl on her journey. Soon after meeting Kee, Theo realizes why she is so important to the Fishes, and ultimately everyone else: the young woman is eight months pregnant. Suddenly hit with the enormity of his predicament, Theo resolves to help Kee get to her final destination, a boat called the Tomorrow where a group of scientists known as the Human Project work to cure infertility, at any cost.
Children of Men is loosely based on P.D. James’ 1992 novel, The Children of Men, and is directed by acclaimed Mexican director Alfanso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también). The film was a hit with critics when it was released last December, earning it a 91% “Fresh” rating on popular film site RottenTomatoes.com. Children of Men is now available on DVD and HD-DVD.
The Children of Men DVD contains a handful of incredibly interesting bonus features. Three deleted scenes are first on the disc, and by far the least exciting additions. Next is a chilling 27-minute documentary called “The Possibility of Hope,” which features philosophers and futurists talking at length about globalization and its effects on the planet. One of those philosophers pops up again in the next supplement, “Children of Men: Comments by Slavoj Zizek.” Here, Zizek talks about the metaphors that made him fall in love with the movie. In “Under Attack” the filmmakers discuss some of the movie’s most complex scenes and how they were shot against all odds. Next, “Theo and Julian” gives us a look at the relationship between the two characters though interviews with the cast and producer Marc Abraham. Interestingly, Moore herself gets a bit of her character’s backstory confused with that of her literary counterpart. The 8-minute “Futuristic Design” piece takes us into the production design with interviews from producer Hilary Shor, set designer Jennifer Williams, production designer Jim Clay, and costume designer Jany Temime. Finally, my curiousity about “how’d they do that” was satisfied with the exceedingly cool “Visual Effects: Creating the Baby”. At just 3 minutes in length, this was the shortest of the extras, but the one I found most interesting. Be sure to check it out.
Children of Men is truly a work of art. The film was shot with a documentary feel, immediately drawing the audience into this ill-fated world. Many of the big action sequences were shot in one long take, adding further to the immediacy. Incredibly realistic special effects had me rewinding the DVD and watching certain scenes two and three times to determine if it was real or CGI. While the film did earn three Oscar nominations, I think Children of Men should have gotten a lot more. The Academy really overlooked the stellar performances. The acting by all of the key cast members is superb. Clive Owen does an incredible job, as does Michael Caine, who plays Theo’s ex-hippie amigo, Jasper. Caine, particularly, was robbed on Oscar night. Not only should he have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor, he should have won.
Depending on what kind of person you are, Children of Men can either be an extremely hopeful look at humanity’s strength or a sobering view of a doomed world to come. Personally, I had both reactions. At first, the film really got to me. As a mother, I can’t imagine my children going through such trials and being able to see the end of human existence on the horizon. It was heartbreaking and depressing. But, the more I thought about it, the more I saw just how hopeful Children of Men actually is. Right in the middle of global panic, mass violence and certain extinction, a new beginning lives in the belly of a simple girl. It’s poetic and beautiful, making a cautionary tale far easier to stomach and take to heart. Children of Men is a stunning achievement that deserves and demands to be viewed, contemplated and embraced.
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