Children of Men

I saw the new Clive Owen film "Children of Men" this afternoon. Hollywood has taken dystopia to new heights in a very interesting way. I am often intrigued by the movie industry's fascination with dystopia. If the world is not ending, can the film get made? I don't know.

In this film, the world becomes sterile and twenty years later it is clearly falling apart. Social systems are in collapse and Britain is the only country with any sense of order and that is only because of a very repressive control system. Clive Owen is a man who had once had ideals and was now just trying to get through the day. He is sucked back into caring by an old flame (Julianne Moore in a barely present role) who cons him into escorting a young woman to the coast. It turns out that the woman is pregnant, the first successful pregnancy in 20 years. The terrorist group that hires him double crosses him and he tries to get her to safety through the vast array of people who end up trying to kill or use them for their own devices.

The most amazing moment in the film is towards the end. After giving birth, they are trying to successfully get out of the refugee camp they were hiding in through a riot caused by the terrorists chasing them and the army trying to put down the riot. The baby starts crying and literally everyone stops shooting a stares in amazement as they walk out. Both sides simply stop and stare at something none of them thought they would see again. Then the moment passes and fighting starts again and they slip off to safety. Or relative safety as all heroic figures have to sacrifice something for their success.

A well done film.