Return of the Cinema: Children of Men Brings Art Back to Hollywood

Truly beautiful movies don't come around all that often anymore. All too often moviegoers are treated to films that are visually spectacular with no story, or a good story and merely pedestrian camera work with nothing to really grab the viewer's attention. Children of Men, the new film for visionary director Alfonso Cuaron delivers on all fronts and is perfectly crafted in every aspect of film making.

The film is set in the year 2027, the world is infertile and the human race is mired in death, decay, mistrust, and violence. This may sound as though I am describing a sci-fi feature, and the movie's producers are touting it as such, but I really see this as more of a premonitory vision of the future, this movie has an amazingly realistic feel to it from beginning to end and is is a startling vision of a not so far off future where women have lost their fertility, and no new births have occurred in almost twenty years. The story is intriguing and frighteningly believable given the current state of the world. Much of the movie seems as though is it a strong commentary on current society, and the similarities are strikingly noticeable. The problems in current society with immigration and immigration laws are exaggerated to show a problem that needs to be solved today lest we sink into this horrific version of the future, and bears a specific resemblance to the tactics used in Nazi Germany. Children offers up problems we may face in the future in we don't find solutions today.

This movie has a lot of symbolism and hidden meanings. It makes bold commentaries on race relations, immigration, and world politics, and all the while tells a provocative tale of human goodness and the power of life. It is a beautifully crafted film with attention to the smallest of details and exemplifies the will and desire to survive that lives inside of us all. The film is beautifully shot, dark for the most part to signify the darkness in the world portrayed, but masterfully lit at certain times to show comfort among the on-screen characters.

The story centers around a former professor named Theo, drowning in alcohol and self-pity, played perfectly by the talented Clive Owen, who is dragged into helping his activist ex-wife, played by Julianne Moore, protect a young girl that has somehow become pregnant in a land ravaged by infertility. To make the situation a little more insane, the pregnant girl is an immigrant, hated by the government and citizens alike and blamed for all the chaos and destruction currently occupying the world. Not knowing what side is just, Theo is torn on what to believe and what to do, not knowing what is best for the world.

The story is beautiful and engaging, and while it may leave some questions unanswered, the film is a treasure. The technical merits of this film are second to none, from the sound, cinematography, and dialogue, Children of Men is far superior to any film that has come out this year and is easily the finest example of film as art. Much of the film is shot using a hand-held camera, which can be for some, a little annoying, but in this case it is well served and used masterfully. The settings and locales used are graphically amazing and really transport the viewer into this somewhat post-apocalyptic world. The violence is commonplace and realistic, not over the top Hollywood action, but rather some relatively realistic war scenes and outcomes. Bullets actually seem to hit people in this movie, a strange departure for Hollywood that loves to employ those lazy bullets that never seem to hit their targets. The action is fast-paced but believable, and in fact, Owen's character never even picks up a gun even though he has ample opportunities to do so, and might have even benefited from joining the fray and spraying a few bullets in the direction of the bad guys. Injuries remain consistent throughout the film, as does the costuming. No clean clothes from shot to shot and Owen even has to run around without shoes for half the movie and it is clearly affecting him unlike Bruce Willis' legendary character in Die Hard who managed to save the world from terrorists without shoes and glass in his feet!

For all of the visual mastery in this film, possibly the most impressive result of Cuaron's efforts is the sound. The ambiance created from the sounds in this film add to the enjoyment of the whole moviegoing experience. The sounds of bullets zipping through the air, shoeless feet trampling through a wooded area, countless explosions and an infant's frightened cries all come through with a clarity and haunting realism that the viewer forgets he is in a theater and not experiencing these events for himself.

Thousands of movies come out every year that are hyped to the point of nausea and really don't deliver, Children of Men is not one of them. For all the hype and accolades this movie is receiving in the press and from the critics is warranted and just, no film this year even compares to the beauty and magnificence of Children and I wish more films were made this way. This is a complete film with a message of hope and the power of the human spirit, as well as a depiction of the destructive capabilities of the human race.