Children of Men is about a future in which humans have stopped reproducing and the world has gone dystopian. Immigrants and refugees are locked up and crime and terrorism are everywhere. And then there is hope as a refugee woman gets pregnant. This woman has to be taken to the Human Project who are trying to discover a cure for human infertility. On the way, they have to battle the government forces as well as a pro-immigrant insurgency.
It is based on the book of the same name by P. D. James.
Overall, it is a good movie worth watching. The cinematography is great and the plot moves along nicely.
I rate it 8/10.
“Children of Men” is a dark tale that reminds me in many ways of T.S. Elliot’s poem “The Hollow Men.” The writer set his story in a world ending with a whimper, a collective mindset reflected by most of the characters.
One part of the story is peculiar, though. No one mentions the male’s role in conception. While the first pregnancy in twenty years would certainly attract attention, the door to a cure for global human infertility would also seem to hinge upon finding a fertile male as well as a fertile female.
Captain Arrrgh: Did you miss the virgin birth angle? I think there was a dialog about that in the movie. Just like Anakin Skywalker, this fetus only has a mother.
Yes, I remember the scene clearly. After she deadpans the virgin birth lines, she pauses, laughs and admits to prostituted herself to many clients. This admission fits with the gritty tone of the piece, but the spiritual aspect of the movie would have been strengthened by holding to the virgin birth idea.
Though I have not read or seen Children of Man, I have seen such movies and read books 20 to 40 years back which forecast the future. When I read those books or saw those movies, I used to think “No, impossible, how can this happen? Human can’t droop so low”. But some thoughts of those authers have become true by now. So, no wonder, if the developed world’s present behaviour persists, after half a century, they may be starved of children.
Captain Arrrgh: Yeah, a virgin birth would have been something, but this is not a movie about revolution as it shows the opposition to the fascist government using despicable methods as well.
I read somewhere that in the novel, even stored sperm/eggs stop being fertile. So the mechanism of the infertility is not clear at all. I guess that could be done in the sequel “The Human Project.”
Dad: I don’t think the developed world will be starved of children any time soon.