‘Children of Men’ offers world of change for mainstream films

By Paul Szaniawski

The phrase “children of men” has two different meanings. It may need to be analyzed, but that’s exactly what this film does. Children of Men makes viewers question their very own world. This is largely because it takes place in the not-too-far-off future. The setting really hits home and gives the film a realistic feel. In the world of 2027, terrorism has made England the only country safe enough to live in without widespread chaos. All immigrants are sent to containment camps. Disease, anarchy and destruction devastate the world. This may sound like a bleak future but from the film’s start, it is evident there is no future. Literally.

Children of Men’s beginning is the first hint of its original writing. Theo (Clive Owen) squeezes through an overcrowded coffee shop of people frozen by what they see on television. A newscast reveals that someone named Baby Diego was killed for not giving an autograph. How can a baby even give autographs? Why would someone want a baby’s autograph?

It’s not for another minute that the viewer learns that Baby Diego wasn’t actually a baby, but the youngest person in the world. He was born in 2009. Since then, women mysteriously cannot give birth or get pregnant. The human race is infertile. Oh, and that coffee shop gets blown up as soon as Theo leaves. The English government blames the attack on F.I.S.H., a group of rebels fighting for immigrants’ rights and lives.

Theo, a simple nine-to-five daily-grind office worker, is the main character. He could not have been cast any better. Similar to Sin City, Owen finds himself in an originally written and critically acclaimed film. Unlike Liam Neeson or Hugh Grant, Owen isn’t well-known to American audiences, which makes the role fit better.

Children of Men also stars another brilliant British actor: Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules), who plays Theo’s retired hippie friend Jasper. American audiences know him as the kind elderly gentleman, and the part fits him well.

The film also stars Julianne Moore (Hannibal) playing Julian, the American ex-wife of Theo and F.I.S.H. terrorist organization leader. It’s awkward at first to hear a character speak without the English accent, but it soon makes sense. It doesn’t take long to see how well Julian’s and Theo’s dialogues mesh together because of the contrast. Both Julian and Jasper create a strong emotional connection and make the audience feel for them. They help to establish the film’s mood.

Mood is the only aspect that can parallel Children of Men to any other movie. The overall feeling of the film and what resonates to the viewer resembles that of War of the Worlds and Signs. The similarities end there. Nearly every plot twist is shocking, yet the film doesn’t have a pace like that of a thriller or action flick.

Theo gets sucked into Julian’s plan to change the world. The unfolding of the plot is an interesting ride that hooks audiences’ eyes and brains. More important is how Children of Men appeals to the heart, having everyone hoping that Theo and the world will survive as if the film were reality. Grasp on to those seats, because this film really does suck viewers in.
Nearly all films that take place more than 20 years in the future have flying cars or some other kinds of ridiculous advancements. There is nothing far-fetched at all in this world.

The other characteristics of the setting are dramatically different from contemporary society. Along with the concept of women not having babies, the government issues suicide kits and some of England’s immigrants are slaughtered rather than deported.

The film’s real beauty is how its military scenes, hate and chaos-filled world make viewers question their own contemporary surroundings and the status quo in the theater’s parking lot. Just don’t leave before the end so the title’s double meaning can finally make sense.
Its originality right through to the ending makes Children of Men the best movie you never heard of.