Children of Men: about the movie

This movie was made in 2006, and it is a landmark in choreography and directing. It was nominated for three Academy Awards: best cinematography, best editing, and best adapted screenplay. I absolutely love this movie, and I only saw it for the first time a month ago, and again just recently. It was one of those movies that did not get all that much hype, but it turns out to be an amazing film. It was directed by Alfonso Cuaron and stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore Michael Caine, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The plot is basically this.

In the year 2027, a worldwide pandemic causing infertility in women has set the date for the end of human kind, and as a result, people don't bother maintaining the planet. Terrorists and rogue forces have attacked and left almost every country in ruins, all except Great Britain. People have no regard for the well being of themselves and others, because every one will die anyway. 

The movie thrusts you right into the middle of this, revealing little facts here and there as you follow Clive Owen's character, Theo, around Britain. Bombs are constantly going off in public places, all immigrants are being forced out of the country, and fugi's (short for fugitives) are repenting against the government that is spreading fear into the hearts of millions with bombs of their own. Theo gets kidnapped by a group of fugi's that is led by his wife Julian (Julianne Moore), and is given the responsibility of transporting the worlds first pregnant woman in 18 years to a save zone called The Human Project. An uprising occurs from within, and Theo must now rescue the woman and others to safety, while being chased by both the police and the fugi's.  

I cannot say enough about how awesome this movie is. What the director did that was revolutionary was have the movie shot with very long takes and minimal cuts. There is a sequence in a vehicle where the characters are being chased by fugitives, and the camera is rolling non stop the entire time, rotating around the inside of the car. The choreography of that shot was incredibly complex, and entire car rig had to be built so that the camera could be dropped through the top and moved around in any direction. Alfonso Cuaron vision of the future is incredibly dirty, muted, and realistic. He wanted the long takes so that the audience knew they were experiencing the events in real-time. Watching this movie you feel like you are on a roller-coaster, unable to stop moving forward but being scared for what comes next. It is an absolutely incredible film, and the performances of the actors are perfect, and the direction is mind-blowing. This is a 5 out of 5 any day of the week. It is rated R, but I would recommend it to anyone above about 13, as long as they don't mind swears and occasional blood. 

This is a really cool featurette on how the director, cameraman, stunt people etc. achieved a couple of very long takes in the film. It doesn't spoil anything or show you the entire take so don't worry. It just gives you a feel for the style of the movie and appreciation for the work that went into making it. Enjoy!