Children at War
Film Offers Bleak Outlook for Humanity

In a world without children, would the chaos and mayhem of humanity be any different? In director Alfonso Cuarón's new film, Children of Men, the only difference in our lives appears to be unrelenting hopelessness. As the human race is seemingly dying out and Britain stands as a last outpost for civilization, the final act of humanity may be to unwittingly destroy itself.

Children of Men
In a world without children, Theo (Clive Owen) passes graffiti propaganda for the Human Project in Children of Men. (Universal, 2006)
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Written by: Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton, based on the novel by P.D. James
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, and Michael Caine

Rated R (for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity)
Running time: 109 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 7 out of 10.

Theo (Clive Owen) is a man living at the end of the world. In nearly twenty years, no children have been born. The youngest person on the planet (an 18-year old still called "Baby Diego" by the press) has been killed. Theo's only peace is in the intervals that he spends in the woods with his friend Jasper (Michael Caine), a former radical living on the fringe of society.

When rebels abduct Theo, he is reunited with his former wife Julian (Julianne Moore), an activist who fights against the oppressive government. Julian needs Theo's help in obtaining travel papers for a member of her organization. Theo agrees, not understanding how important Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) is to the organization and to the future of the human race.

Despite the fact that Children of Men is set in a dystopian future, this is not a science fiction film. It certainly has certain science fiction tropes, foremost among them a world-wide crisis threatening humanity's existence. However, the story explores neither the cause nor the cure for humanity's current condition. Instead, the film uses infertility as a tool to project a "worst case scenario" onto the future of mankind.

The world in Children of Men is in chaos. The war between the establishment and the rebels is no different than the skirmishes currently fought in a dozen different countries around the globe. The atrocities committed by rounding up foreigners and putting them into concentration camps is not unlike what has been committed in the past. The only difference is that we see it in a supposedly "civilized" country.

The result is neither a science fiction film nor an introspective drama. It should more accurately be labeled as a war picture. The gritty hopelessness of the film evokes a horror that made me wonder if humanity deserved to survive.

Owen does an excellent job as the unwitting hero of the piece. Thrown into a situation not of his own making, Theo responds with a complex series of emotions that make him both heroic and tragic. Still mourning the loss of his own son, who died several years before, Theo allows his parental nature to extend to the young girl Kee.

Moore and Caine are excellent in their supporting roles, although fans may be disheartened by how little screen time they get. Moore is good, but exits the story just when she begins to get interesting. Caine, as the radical hippie, is nearly unrecognizable. He looks like John Lennon might have if he were still alive today.

My disappointment in discovering that Children of Men was not a true science fiction film will not keep me from giving this film a good review. However, those who might be put off by unrelenting violence should think twice before seeing it. Nevertheless, there is a moment in the film in which hope rises above the violence and horror, making the war and those who fight it pause in wonder. It is as if the film exists to give voice to this scene. For this one scene alone, I recommend seeing Children of Men.