When Alfonso Cauron’sChildren of Menpremiered in 2006, the film was a commercial flop. The film originally premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a standing ovation from critics, but by the time it had its wide release on Christmas Day, the near-future dystopian tale failed to attract audiences, making less than $70 million at the box office against a budget of $76 million.
Perhaps it was the bleak subject on Christmas Day, or the fact that the studio was busy marketing Oscar bait likeUnited 93,but either way, the experience was frustrating for directorAlfonso Cuarón, who retreated from public life andtold Vulturethat he endured “the five most intense and difficult years of my life.” Thankfully, the Mexican director came back with a bang, asGravitybecame a commercial and critical success in 2013.
But looking back,Children of Menhas absolutely stood the test of time, as its subject and lessons have became even more important in our contemporary times. Today, it is one of the most highly-regarded films of the 21st century, and in 2016 was evenvoted the 13th best filmof the 21st century by critics from around the world. But what makesChildren of Mensuch an important and excellent film? Let’s go over a few reasons whyChildren of Menis one of the best sci-fi movies of the past 20 years:
Prescient Premise
Co-written by Cuaron and based offTheChildren of Men(P.D. James’ 1992 novel) the film is set in a near-future dystopia where humans have become unable to procreate. At the beginning of the film, Diego, the youngest person alive, is murdered by a rabid fan, which quickly helps to set the scene: chaos, terrorist violence, and poverty have taken over the world. But there is a glimmer of hope. For the first time in decades, a woman has become pregnant, and it us up to Theo, a cynical andnihilisticcivil servant played byClive Owen, to lead her to safety.
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Set in the United Kingdom, the film shows deteriorating cities and a massive refugee crisis that has turned Britain into a xenophobic and authoritarian society. In hindsight, the film seems to havepredicted a lot of political eventsto come, like Brexit and the election of Donald Trump;Cuaronhas commented, though, that the film was not necessarily ahead of its time, it was just paying attention to issues of the time. He told Vulture he was reading about refugees, know-nothing reactionaries, and eerie disruptions in biological processes during the early ‘00s. The point ofChildren of Menis that most things we consider as “dystopian” are in fact already happening to underprivileged communities today.
Subversion of Sci-Fi Tropes
Children of Menmight be set in the future, but it always has a foot in the present. Apart from taking into consideration contemporary issues, the film is also visually gritty, washed-out, rundown, and even dirty in a way that resembles historical dramas and not sci-fi films. The film shies away from showing speculative technological advancements in the way thatclassic sci-fi filmslike2001: A Space OdysseyandBlade Runner. Whereas most futuristic films show the future as sleek, clean and minimalist, the interior spaces and wardrobe inChildren of Menare claustrophobic and cluttered.
The film seems to suggest that the future will look more like the present than we realize. It also subverts the tropes of traditional narrative cinema where the heroes make it unscathed through chaos. No one is safe in this movie as some of the biggest stars in the cast are suddenly killed early in the story. The film plays with our expectations and leaves us on the edge of our seats for its entire duration.
Daring Cinematography
The most impressive aspect ofChildren of Menis the craftsmanship and technical ability with which it was made, its cinematography being the most salient example. Shot bythe great Emmanuel Lubezki, the film features some of the most majestic and riveting long-takes in film history. In order to increase viewer anxiety and make action scenes even more tense, the director and cinematographer decided to shoot the film using single-shot tracking sequenceswithout any cuts.
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For example, in a scene that lasts 247 seconds, we see the main characters driving through the countryside when they’re suddenly attacked while the camera moves and swivels in a 360-degree range of motion that show us all the players in theincredible action sequencewhile mimicking the dynamism of the events.Children of Menis particularly scary because it is so immersive, the camera moves around like a human would, and it does not give us any breaks from the drama.
Top Tier Performances
Children of Menalso has some incredibly talented performers. Clive Owen leads the film with a great combination of cynicism and gravitas; he clearly shows us the character’s arc from hopelessness to hope, and manages to be both melancholic and inspiring. Similarly, the Oscar-winningJulianne Mooreexcels in every scene that she is in, portraying a hardened but caring activist who is trying to change the world. Michael Caine, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Charlie Hunnam, andChiwetel Ejioforround up the rest of the cast with fantastic supporting performances that complement the bleakness of the film.
While it may be bleak, it also offers a glimmer of well-earned hope at the end of the struggle, a hope that, like this film, may be more than humanity deserves.
