Children of Men

Movie of the year, without a doubt. Cuarón’s vision of the future is dreadful and plausible. People are depicted exactly as they are in reality. Some cowardly, sometimes brave, sometimes evil, sometimes good and so on, it’s a truly mixed bunch. He shows us the future of 2027 when we have lost hope and belief in good things. But this is a simply story, without dreadful twists and shocking revelations. This is a study of Us, people. But what stands out over everything else in Children of Men is its brilliant form. The ingeniously planned choreography, the long, really long takes with not cuts whatsoever take your breath away. The scene in the car and one of the final uprisings are incredibly well executed. I couldn’t believe that it’s even possible to film anything like that. Supported by an excellent performance from Clive Owen, whose Theo is no dumb hero, but a real person afraid for his life, we see the final disintegration of our civilization. This is just what world of film needs. Movies like this. Stories like this. (19/03/2007)

The brilliant parable of the demise of humanity culminates in the technical means of storytelling. The music is a very interesting mix of apocalyptic chorus, unpleasant noises and hits, which can be heard directly in the fictional world (from the radio and the futuristic hi-fi system). I have to admit that after watching Children of Men... I will never forget Ruby Tuesday. A similarly effective resource is the editing, which in some places is completely absent and allows the film to flow in incredibly long and raw units. This highlights the expressive work of Emmanuel Lubezki's handheld camera (he also shot Burton's Sleepy Hollow). With its shaky eye, the camera adds a touch of authenticity to both dialogue scenes and action sequences, which are unhealthily imminent and impressive. The actor group led by the excellent Clive Owen deserves great recognition... there is no doubt that his rough masculine face is endowed with gentle inner acting and natural fragility, favoring civilian positions. Michael Caine in the role of Jasper once again demonstrates what the strengthening charisma of old age is... Claire Hope-Ashitey's unknown face shines and can easily match a star like Julianne Moore. The main star, however, is Alfonso Cuarón, who, after his difficult involvement in the Harry Potter films, finally submits work that ranks him amongst the top magnitude of director stars. The way he works with large sets of shots, with human faces, the way in which the film intensity escalates, the way he evokes the atmosphere of the future world with minimal resources and the way he reflects the decaying state of our world in the future world with minimal resources is admirable and worth acknowledging. Children of Men is not a matter of vain moralizing, nor a disaster film based on a scheme and all-telling symbols. It is essentially an intimate film, one that is harshly authentic and honest. On a small sample of humanity, he presents a horrible vision of the end of humanity, which is symbolically raised in its resolution... there is no doubt that this "science fiction" is nothing but the freezing hyperbole of today. For me, the current spectator experience of the year. (12/11/2006)

A riveting film with a pretty realistic portrayal of our near future. The world in 2027: misery, filth, people living in unsustainable social conditions; not that different from our present. If you multiply today’s problems in Europe, you will get something unpleasantly similar to Children of Men. This socio-political insight gives the film an uncompromising undertone, while the main storyline provides a sufficiently solid base for the viewer to consider it real and factually important. The camera for the most part is a couple of paces behind the protagonist and in several scenes it pulls you directly into the events taking place on screen, making you go through a brutal shoot-out, a bus full of hiding wretches and a semi-demolished building. Everything feels incredibly alive but depressive at the same time, and the glimmer of hope in the form of a baby by the end works the way it should. (22/01/2008)

This film’s technical brilliance and orgiastic creativity in its visuals will cause film connoisseurs’ jaws to drop and the plot with a powerful theme and even more powerful scenes will melt the hearts of children and adults of all ages. Even though Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki show off a bit in the manner of “Look what we can do!” in places, their film will leave absolutely no one cold. In a packed cinema, Children of Men is an excellent collective experience, with people clutching their heads, laughing and groaning as if they themselves had been hit in the mouth with a car battery. I believe that just as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Coppola and co. got a dying Hollywood back on its feet in the 1970s, Cuarón, Alejandro Iñárritu, Paul Greengrass and co. will now take it to another level in this age of calculated digital confections. *** FILM OF THE YEAR *** (14/11/2006)

It's not appropriate to write "a technically brilliant, all-round brilliant thing" about most films seen in the movie theater. However, that does apply to Children of Men. Add together brilliant cinematography, direction that knows what to do with its mega-long shots, great acting performances... There you have it. I'll probably never get Michael Caine combined with Ruby Tuesday out of my head. (24/08/2009)