Review of Children of Men (2006) by Damjan R — 03 Jul 2013

One thing that's immediately noticeable about Children of Men is it rich imagery and the credit goes to both its director Cuaron and cinematographer Lubezki. The dystopian future landscape is diverse and detailed that it's a equally important almost as the characters.

In a story that centers around a worldwide epidemic of infertility, Clive Owen is charged with the responsibility of escorting a young pregnant girl to safety. The story features some minor pacing problems but is loaded with content and under the watchful eye of Cuaron it has a sense of dread that is very palpable.

One curious thing is that given it's long takes, the actors feel a tad under-directed but the action is done perfectly, but the thing that surprised me the most was it's use of symbolism through animal interaction with the characters and story.

I won't give it away, but certainly observe which type of animals appear at what times in the story, this is something I didn't catch the first time I watched the film. Clive Owen as the reluctant hero is great, and the film also features a very unique way to accent its pacifist nature.

Children of Men is up there with the best films of the new millennium and I recommend it wholeheartedly.