Children of Men (2006)

Director:

Alfonso Cuarón

Writers (WGA):

Alfonso Cuarón (screenplay) &
Timothy J. Sexton (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 January 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

No children. No future. No hope.

Plot:

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Violence | England | Chaos | Birth

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 24 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Juan Gabriel Yacuzzi	...	Baby Diego (as Juan Yacuzzi)
Mishal Husain	...	Newsreader
Rob Curling	...	Newsreader
Jon Chevalier	...	Café Customer
Rita Davies	...	Café Customer
Kim Fenton	...	Café Customer
Chris Gilbert	...	Café Customer
Phoebe Hawthorne	...	Café Customer
Rebecca Howard	...	Café Customer
Atalanta White	...	Café Customer (as Atlanta White)
Laurence Woodbridge	...	Café Customer
Clive Owen	...	Theo Faron
Maria McErlane	...	Shirley
Michael Haughey	...	Mr. Griffiths
Paul Sharma	...	Ian

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Japan | UK | USA

Language:

English | German | Italian | Romanian | Spanish | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | France:U | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:R (certificate #42838) | New Zealand:R16 | Hungary:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18PL (DVD) | Brazil:16 | Sweden:15 | India:A | Spain:13 | South Africa:16LV

Filming Locations:

Admiralty Arch, The Mall, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In the movie, Theo and Julian's son Dylan died from a disease epidemic, while in the book Dylan was accidentally killed and Theo was indirectly responsible for his death. Both the film and book share the long separation and tension that exists between Theo and Julian related to Dylan's passing.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Theo overhears Luke's plans to kill him, he wears socks. In the following scenes where he escapes the safe house and pushes the car, he wears shoes.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Newsreader: Day 1,000 of the Siege of Seattle.
Newsreader: The Muslim community demands an end to the Army's occupation of mosques.
Newsreader: The Homeland Security bill is ratified. After eight years, British borders will remain closed. The deportation of illegal immigrants will continue. Good morning. Our lead story.

Movie Connections:

References A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Soundtrack:

Omgyjya Switch7

Highlights of the movie

OK, I only got through the first 3 pages of comments but let me add my own.

1) Fantastic cinematography. Some like hand-held, some don't. It certainly worked very well here.

2) Related to (1), very long shots. There is one scene where the camera lens has blood splats on it for quite a few minutes. Hollywood would get rid of it, but for this movie it adds amazingly to the atmosphere that is being created.

3) Like "Code46" the technology is in the background. Just the way it should be, allowing us to focus on the story.

4) Theo as the central character NEVER picks up a gun, despite them being all over the place and easily available. As a viewer you are almost willing him to do so, to manage some of his challenges - but very deliberately the character does not.

5) I've read separately that yes this is a comment on current society. Being an Australian, with our controversial immigration laws and practices, that rings true.

6) Similar to (5), using the term "Homeland Security" in the movie is an obvious reference.

7) The revolutionaries/terrorists/fishes are shown to be just as political and militant as the government they oppose.

There are more, but that is enough. Overall a wonderful movie which leaves me thinking for a long time, which is all I ask.

Cheers!

Anton.