In the year 2027, the world has become a dwelling for violence, death and hopelessness.
Children Of Men chronicles the journey of the human race to extinction. For years, women have been infertile, and mankind has completely lost the ability to procreate.
With the realization that the human line will soon be terminated, the world is in complete chaos. Cities around the globe are in flames, and the “Siege of Seattle” has entered its 1,000th day. The end of the world is now upon mankind.
The world has become a place of military control, battle zones and refugee camps.
The film forces its viewers to imagine something that is unthinkable. It opens another window on morality, bringing new questions to life as human life itself is dying.
Despite a seemingly hopeless theme, director Alfonso Cuaron brings a surprisingly beautiful sentiment to the idea and puts it on the screen.
The journey of the emotionally and physically drained Theo, played by Clive Owen, shows the capabilities of man as he comes to the understanding of what life truly is.
He opens his eyes to the beauty of what is around him in a world that seems to lack any form of allure: the thoughts of his precious son, the simplicity of a kitten crawling up his leg and the smells and sounds at the home of his friend Jasper.
Theo finds the most beautiful element of life he has ever seen following him through the most horrible depictions of the world and reaches a feeling of hope amidst hopelessness.
He comes to find that after nearly eighteen years of infertility, mankind has promise, and it is asked of Theo that he help protect the one woman who is capable of bringing the human race to life again, giving man hope.
It is the accumulation of this hope that leads to one of the most breathtaking battle scenes that has ever been put on film.
Certainly Cuaron makes it a point to understand the tragedy of man and the corruption of man’s will. Yet, he also shows man’s longing for something better, something that leads the human race to press on.
The internal struggle of Theo is one that is beautifully captured in this film of stellar display.
The idea that mankind does have something to live for, that life is not an event in time but a journey throughout time, is an incredible theme that is wondrously developed.