Children of Men by Alfonso Cuarón (2006, UK/USA)

I don't think I'd be wrong to describe this as Alfonso Cuaron's masterpiece. He is probably one of the most underrated directors working today. I hope this movie will be his big break to the mainstream, and he would continue to make great, or even better movies after this.

There's really a lot to talk about this film. Where do I begin here? First of all, I'd like to say this is the best film of 2006, all things considered. The only real contender is Pan's Labyrinth, but this film really made me think for days after I've watched it, and it holds up really well after the second viewing. There were a lot of subtle details, especially with the abundance of pets in the movie, and how humanity probably used them to fill the emotional gap of not having children. The mise-en-scene and blocking is excellently choreographed, and the narrative was graceful enough with what little exposition it had. The ambiguous ending just tops it off, since it fits thematically with the film, which is retaining hope in the face of utter hopelessness.

Also, the camerawork. Yes, the mindblowing camerawork. Inside the car, and the 7 minute epic steadicam shot in the war zone. It's a feat of brilliance. People will be talking of this for years to come. I'm glad they didn't cut the shot after the blood spatter on the camera lens, it made the scene much more cooler and adds a sense of immediacy to the action happening all around. (well Cuaron actually yelled for a cut, but they didn't hear him on top of the explosion, so he decided to continue.) The shot where both sides stopped fighting after they saw the baby for the first time is also a great scene, and how they started fighting soon enough after that is probably a subtle metaphor for human nature.

Clive Owen has earned my respect after watching this. I've had my doubts on him after watching Inside Man, but his work here is worthy of praise. I somehow missed this in the theaters when I found out that it had screened here in November, so that was very disappointing for me. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that. I just hope more people will watch this, because it's a clever science-fiction movie that deserves watching. Also, I love the reference to Pink Floyd's 'Animals'.
Man, I just can't stop talking about this movie.

4.5/5 stars
IMDB