Review of Children of Men (2006) by Sanchayan S — 29 Apr 2014

Alfonso Cuaron's "Children Of Men" is a masterpiece. This is a movie that cannot be specified under any genre. Thematically complex and visually gritty , with a brilliant screenplay and some gut - wrenching imagery this journey works on every possible level out there.

To a entertainment enthusiast it is a raw action thriller gritty set in a post apocalyptic world but within that flows a beautiful tale of humanity . Going deeper and one can keep doing that , the films opens up like petals of a rose.

The film is filled with visual and scenic imagery of human life & it's themes. This movie deals with the true horrors of war more than most other movies - no sugarcoating the reality that lies within it.

Here death happens as it normally happens , when you see life getting lost in an eye blink without any element of dramatization you tend to ask yourself a lot of questions as a viewer. Although this movie can affect certain religious sects and activists what the film deals with is the plurality of religious riots and wars without pointing its finger at any particular sect.

The tale of a young refugee who holds the key to the survival of humanity , preserving humanity from an apocalypse takes us right back to the basic themes- what are the wars actually fought for ! The reasons behind wars are not literal as they can appear in the pages.

To the female friends , certain elements of the film stands as a symbolic guardian as to a girl being the key to save mankind and the only way is to have another girl. No awkward dialogues in the screenplay turns even certain scenes which could have been corny into great and powerful images.

One particular scene that will send a shiver down the spine would be amidst the war and armies the baby is being taken out and everyone who was fighting against each other stopped - the baby being used as a symbol of unity , hope and reason.

Apart from being a very complex film , the movie delivers excellent pace. Imagery is a powerful tool and it surely delivers in this movie - the camera is like a third person mostly perspective based in telling the story.

Use of handheld cameras in the most efficient way adds a lot dynamic feel to the story. The climatic sequences and even the earlier parts of the movie it felt as if a real life person was there documenting the whole thing even the battle aftermath.

Use of long shots keeps the tension , behind the shoulders and all those traditional use of handheld cameras as an art form are brilliantly done. Visually its rich , high contrast but desaturated images and gritty shades adds to the realism of the film.

Decent score adds to the dramatic elements of the film. Good performance from Clive Owen throughout. The setting and the production values are excellent even within the small budget of the film : The movie is a perfect collaboration of various art forms as under the direction of the genius Alfonso Cuaron "Children Of Men" will be one of those underrated masterpieces.