Children of Men
Ashes of the future
Have you ever imagined what a world without children would be like? Even the most surly Herod would be forced to face the fact that this would be a world doomed to extinction, since a child means the continuity of Life. This bitter and cruel reality is explored in the movie “Children of Men” (USA / UK,2006), directed by Mexican Alfredo Cuarón .
The plot takes place in the year 2027, when the world after a biological weapon or some other disaster, suffers from the population’s infertility. Plagues, pollution and other man-made harm caused mass deaths – and children were the main victims. In this adult world, the youngest human being is eighteen years old.
So many bad events have brought the world into chaos. Fratricidal wars have ruined the world order. England, where the story takes place, had closed their borders to the rest of the world, and now the government hunted illegal immigrants to expel them. As each action causes a reaction, clandestine groups appear everywhere, reacting through terrorist attacks.
It is in this troubled universe that Theodore Faron (Clive Owen), a former political activist, lives today working as a civil servant. After he narrowly survives an explosion in a coffee shop, he receives the news that the youngest man in the world, an Argentine eighteen years old, had been killed by a fanatic.
As if there were few surprises for the same day, he is kidnapped by Pisces, one of the most powerful groups allied with immigrants. When they remove the blindfold from his eyes, he is surprised by the sight of his ex-wife, whom he has not seen for more than twenty years. Julian (Julianne Moore) asks his help to lead a person across the country.
Theo does not understand the urgency of the request, mainly because, in the current situation no one traveled, except for some extremely serious reason. But to attend Julian, he goes to a relative who holds a ministerial post to get the document.
When they start their journey, along with Julian, other activists and the mysterious Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), they are ambushed by fanatical attackers. Taking refuge on a farm, Theo finds out why Kee is so important. The girl is pregnant, and is the first person to be in this state in eighteen years.
From there, Theo’s life turns to hell, as he discovers that everyone, government and terrorists, wants to use Kee and his baby as a political weapon. He will have to face thousands of enemies, a lot of fanaticism and all sorts of difficulties to lead the girl and her precious cargo safely, to the Human Project, a mysterious organization that tries to rebuild Humanity.
This film consolidated the image of versatility of Alfredo Cuarón, this Mexican who has in his curriculum titles as different as “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (UK / USA.2004), “A Little Princess” (USA, 1995), “And Your Mother Too” (“ Y tu mamá también ”, MEX, 2001), “Gravity” (USA, 2013), until arriving at consecration with “Roma” (MEX, 2018), Oscar 2019 winner for Best Foreign Film, Best Director and Best Photography, in addition to seven more nominations.
The atmosphere of “Children of Men” is mainly provided by the wonderful cinematography of Emmanuel Lubezki, Cuarón’s companion in several films. The whole cast is perfect, highlighting the figure of the eternal hippie Jasper (Michael Caine), impeccable as always.
This film is based on the book “The Children of Men”, by English writer P.D. James in 1992. The apocalyptic theme of the end of humanity is not new, having been used by other authors, such as Brian Aldiss, in “Greybeard” and Arthur C. Clarke, in “Childhood’s End”.
It is clear that a work of fiction uses exaggeration to express its message, and “Children of Men” is no exception. However, it is not difficult to imagine a bleak future when the most important values are success at any price, wealth, selfish pleasure, the individual prevailing over the group. If we stop to think about the increase in global warming, the endless wars motivated by oil and other commodities, and the pandemic in which we live today, is a world like the one in the movie really exaggerated?
The moment of hope is expressed in a touching scene in the film, when the simple sight of a baby is able to cease all hostility, reminding everyone of the importance of the continuity of life. Watch and draw your own conclusions. And for those that always asks where to find the movie, it’s available on Netflix platform .