When Children of Men premiered in 2006, its bleak vision of a childless future was still safely 21 years on the horizon. Now, in the year 2023, the dystopia hypothesized in Alfonso Cuarón’s post-apocalyptic tour de force is rapidly crossing the threshold of immediacy and, like so much of great speculative fiction, transitioning from a disconcerting conjecture into a hauntingly prescient forecast of tomorrow’s Six O’ Clock news. It’s in the face of a desolate backdrop that feels at times less and less like fiction that the film’s impeccable depiction of hope drawn sieve-like from the total depths of desperation becomes all the more stirring, and rings all the more true.
Much has already been made already by its admirers of the frightening veracity present in Children of Men’s conceptual hellscape. Aside its central conceit, where years of global infertility have driven the world into a shared experience of existential despair, it’s in the film’s portrayal of the consequences to humankind’s sorry state that it’s most disturbingly clairvoyant. One can’t help but see verisimilitude in watching familiar surroundings rapidly decay into a fascistic nightmare, where common dignity is trod upon by the few who still cling to power. The world of Children of Men is one where the last vestiges of waning governments hold fast to their insular domains, where immigrants and refugees – or, in the film’s parlance, “fugees” – are thrown en masse in cages and from there to camps, abandoned to engineered squalor. Even so, what makes this film truly remarkable is not merely its at times uncannily true-to-life rendering of affronts to the human spirit, but also its sheer artistic prowess in telling a gripping story that’s become more moving commensurate with its age.
With a keen eye for detail, Cuarón crafts a chillingly realistic future and vividly realizes a landscape of dire hopelessness. From graffiti-laden London streets to an overgrown countryside, Children of Men constantly thrusts its audience into a world that reflects in every facet the despondence of its delinquent caretakers. A washed out color gradient coaxes viewers into the same bleak mindset as the world’s denizens, and some impeccable cinematography thrusts us right into the heart of the narrative’s visceral bedlam, punctuated by brief moments of dearly-won respite and relative calm. We’re made to feel the tension, anguish, and occasional flashes of beauty that permeate every frame. Long, uninterrupted takes – particularly noticeable in what’s probably the film’s most renowned sequence, in which Theo shepherds Key through a besieged high-rise – beyond being technically impressive, are also essential to the film’s immersive ethos. With a mastery of his craft and expert precision, Cuarón deftly balances spectacle with intimacy.
At the center of Children of Men’s bleak and decrepit world, its characters shine as beacons of humanity and tenacity. Clive Owen’s portrayal of protagonist Theo Faron is nothing short of exceptional. Theo’s transformation from jaded bureaucrat to the reluctant steward of a miraculously pregnant “fugee” named Kee (played by Clare-Hope Ashitey) is an utterly evocative portrait of a disaffected dreamer slowly shaking off a long gloom. Ashitey lends to Key an endearingly sardonic, slightly cynical sense of humor touched with a paradoxical naiveté. Indeed, every member of the film’s star-studded cast (including Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor) brings their A-game, delivering heart-wrenchingly authentic performances of struggle, sacrifice, and hope against all odds.
17 years after its initial release, Children of Men stands as a cinematic masterpiece that has not lost an ounce of its impact with the passing of time. Its social and political commentary are as disconcertingly relevant today as it was when it first graced the screen, if not more so. It’s brutal, desolate world serves as a stark warning of the consequences of fascism, xenophobia, and a society resigned to despair, as well as a reminder of humanity’s boundless capacity for hope in the face of unspeakable tragedy. In our own turbulent times, Children of Men’s portrait of resilience and insistence on the value of life resonate deeper and truer than ever before. It’s a film that demands reflection as its speculative warnings are turned by slow degrees to prophecies. It’s a film that haunts, harrows, and inspires, serving as a powerful mirror to our world’s most salient crises. In short, it is a true work of art.