Children of Men
The emergence of Mexican cinema- or at least its’ filmmakers- in the U.S. hit a critical mass in 2006. First, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“21 Grams”) made eventual Golden Globe winner- and deserving Oscar front-runner- “Babel.” And in the coming weeks you can expect me to review “Hellboy” director Guillermo Del Toro’s Foreign Film favorite “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Caught in the middle- and, thanks to a weak marketing campaign, showing up in multiplexes just as lost (which says more for Universal’s treatment of the film than it does the film itself)- is Alfonso Cauron’s “Children of Men.” It’s yet another shift in tones and genre for Cauron, who was the first of the three (known in the press as the Three Amigos) to make a real critical splash in English-language filmmaking with his acclaimed 1995 film “A Little Princess,” before making three wildly different films in 1998’s modern “Great Expectations” remake, 2002’s racy, Spanish-language coming-of-age saga “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” and then 2004’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” so far the finest of the boy wizard franchise. Add “Children of Men” to that enviable filmmography. Based on the novel by P.D. James, “Men” is another unique vision from Cauron (who co-wrote the script with an army of screenwriters), set in 2027 and imagining a war-torn world where mankind has been able to reproduce for 18 years and England appears to be the only world power that hasn’t succumbed to ruin (though its’ outlook- which includes police putting refugees and illegal immigrants in holding camps and cells- is as bleak as the rest of the world). When the film opens we learn that the youngest living human- 18 years old- has been murdered. People mourn while watching the report as Theo- a former activist whose dispair is rooted in a deeper sense of loss (which Clive Owen evokes with a deafening silence that goes beyond his Oscar-nominated work in “Closer”)- goes about his usual day until the coffee shop he was just in explodes. He uses the death of Baby Diego (as the press refers to him) as an excuse to leave a grief-stricken workplace and find refuge at his friend Jasper’s house. Jasper is a hippie-esque father figure to Theo, with a radical’s spirit that can’t be extinguished, and played by Michael Caine with the Oscar-winner’s irrepressible charm and wisdom that makes him the film’s standout performance in a stacked deck of a cast; his brief scenes of him caring for his- one suspects- catatonic wife carry much of the film’s emotional weight. Back in the city, Theo is accosted by the Fishes, an underground political group (considered a terrorist organization by the government-sanctioned press), and their “leader” Julian (Julianne Moore, making an impression in a too-brief role), who used to be lovers with Theo. Julian needs a favor in the form of transit papers for a refugee named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), whom she’s trying to get to the Human Project, a mysterious movement supposed to have the world’s top scientists looking for answer’s to mankind’s infertility. Julian trusts Theo, and even if he’s quick to suggest legal solutions to getting proper care for Kee when he finally discovers her importance- she’s eight months pregnant- he’s quick to help through greater personal risk when the Fishes (“Serenity” villain Chiwetel Ejiofor makes another smart and sharp adversary in a briskly-developed character) prove less than trustworthy than Julian, beginning a rough and risky trip to the ocean, where Julian secured arrangements for Kee to meet up with the Human Project.
Cauron is in complete command of his craft in this film. The story in the film fits the running time without feeling too long or too short (though the abrupt cut to black at the end can be jarring). Cauron uses costumes and production design to create a believable future setting and create his universe with minimal- if any- use of CGI as a lesser talent might. And with his screenwriting collaborators and his cast, he finds a tone of dispair that’s palpable without being completely overbearing or being too strong to not allow for the hope of a new beginning (as the film’s miracle mother- no, it’s not a virgin birth, people- Ashitey anchors the film dramatically with compassion and determination), even if- in my opinion- the relationship between Theo and Julian didn’t feel completely organic in the storytelling. But Cauron’s biggest triumph in the film is its’ visceral feel; master cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (“The New World”) shoots the film like a thriller- with two breathtaking single shot action sequences that are masterpieces of timing and choreography- with a hand-held approach that makes both the film’s quieter moments and its’ most exciting moments immediate in their impact. Personally, the film’s simple character and story development made it hard to invest in the story emotionally- like a friend of mine said about “Apocalypto” (which I agree with after seeing it again), it’s intriguing without being completely engaging- but by the end you’ll find yourself as swept up in the story’s narrative as only the best films are capable of. Like his fellow filmmakers from Mexico, Cauron’s cinematic vision is one to get lost in. He’s a truly singular talent in today’s world cinema.
