A Review of The Film Children of Men

Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men (2006) illustrates a world where humans are incapable of reproducing and facing the threat of imminent extinction. The plot is set with Britain as the last working country left, with the remainder of the world having fallen into turmoil. Many want to immigrate to Britain, which makes immigration the largest public issue. Britain has become a police state controlled by a nameless and faceless government, placing immigrants into refugee camps. We follow Theo Faron (Clive Owen) as he leads the fight for the survival of Earth’s population and protect the planet’s last remaining hope from danger.

The film centers on an infertility crisis as the world grows more and more desolate with each passing day. This film follows the underlying theme of hope which comes from Kee and her miraculous baby. Refugees come to Britain clinging on to a small thread of hope in a better future. Cuaron emphasizes that hope plays a crucial part in the film that drives all of the characters in the film to keep moving forward. Cuaron strategically ends the film on a hopeful note with the boat (Tomorrow) approaching, once again emphasizing the theme of hope.

Cuaron brilliantly utilizes the camera work as a narrative device to emphasize certain scenes and their significance. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Kee converses with Theo and reveals her pregnancy to him in the barn. The scene starts with Kee talking about how farmers cut a cow’s tits so they fit into milking machines. Kee’s positioning in the middle of this scene is crucial because it shows the cows being milked on the sides which allows the audience to understand what Kee is talking about. The violent tone of this conversation is significant in that it shapes a symbolic connection between the merciless biopolitical order that deforms the bodies of the cows and her own circumstances as a refugee. At this point the camera focuses on Theo and shows that he is confused about the purpose of the conversation and his carefree nature about helping Kee. As the scene progresses, Theo is still unwilling to help Kee out and is about to leave until Kee tells him to wait. At this moment, the camera focuses in on Kee as she begins to disrobes to uncover her entire engorged torso and breasts, revealing her pregnancy. Ominous music starts to play as the camera zooms in on Theo’s face, showing his surprised nature and to the readers that this is a significant scene in the film. Instead of simply revealing her pregnancy verbally, the director’s usage of Kee’s action to disrobe, focus of camera, and ominous music makes this scene significant by building up suspense leading up to the revealing of Kee’s pregnancy. Only once the pregnancy is revealed, Theo becomes determined to help Kee out. Thematically, this scene is significant in that it emphasizes the idea of hope.

Children of Men is a beautifully directed wrenching thriller in a dreary world of industrial decay, a contorted reflection of today in a palette of cement dust. Cuaron asks us to find hope in a dreary nativity story where a reluctant hero and frightened would-be mother attempt to find safety in a place that urgently needs an infant savior. I would highly recommend Children of Men that is simultaneously soul-crushing and spirit-lifting.