Netflix Review: Children of Men (2006)

Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey

Children of Men
Suggested Netflix Queue Position: 1

In a time when we’re inundated with mindless action films, unnecessary remakes, and predictable romantic comedies, a truly well made and thought-provoking film will easily stand out. Children of Men is exactly that.

This is one of the best films of 2006. Well cast, superbly shot, and thoughtfully written, Children of Men is a riveting picture from beginning to end.

The year is 2027. The human race faces a bleak future: no child has been born for 18 years, and the scientific community is unable to determine why, much less reignite fertility. This extinction crisis has created a dystopian world which casts a permanent, palpable tension over the film in the form of decaying morality and ever-changing alliances.

Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is a low level government worker whose relationship history with Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore), a member of the underground activist group The Fishes, draws him into the center of a mission to shuttle a valuable passenger to the Human Project, a rumored center for fertility. The passenger is Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), and she is pregnant.

As Theo and Julian attempt to transport the passenger across an ominous-looking Great Britain, we’re drawn into a quickly fraying world fraught with violent clashes between government and nationalistic rebel sects. Everyone wants a piece of Kee, each for different reasons. The task of moving a young, pregnant girl through such brutal surroundings presents a context of nervous fragility that crackles throughout the picture.

It’s a frightening, maddening, confusing world, brought to life by strong performances from the entire cast. Owen shines as the office worker who is in over his head. Moore is convincing as a rebel leader immersed deep in the cause. Michael Caine provides strong perspective – and well placed humor – to this dark time as the kooky yet cunning Jasper Palmer. The underrated Chiwetel Ejiofor effectively casts further confusion as one of the leaders of the Fishes.

It helps that the writing team has supplied to the cast clear, believable dialogue. This team of scribes clearly knew their characters.

Under the deliberate hand of Director Alfonso Cuarón, the movie’s tone is never in question: this is a dark, tense picture, strongly united by performance, writing and cinematography. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki makes sure of that, fittingly dressing the film in a grey hue, perfect not only for its backdrop to the dystopian setting, but also for underscoring the truly confusing alliances formed to protect both personal and national interests.

Move this up to the top of your queue – you won’t regret it.