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Children of Men
In most dystopian/post-apocalyptic movies the theme is that society has been broken for a while and the end is near for the human race. However, in this movie adaptation of a book written by P.D. James in 1992, ("The Children of Men"), the theme is that the human race must go on. By all means necessary.
The movie begins with an innocent enough scene of our protagonist, Theo Faron, played by Clive Owen, going about his daily routine. Upon exiting a small cafe on some street in the UK, a bomb explodes rattling the scene and scattering debris and destruction everywhere. This scene is especially gripping since it all happens in one shot. It was the work of terrorists that are lead by Julian, Theo’s estranged wife. Eventually they will kidnap Theo and bring him to their hideout, where they lay out the plot of the story: For some unexplained reason the world’s population is unable to reproduce offspring, thus effectively giving the human race the current population’s lifespan to exist.
The setting is 2027 with a society that looks rather beat up from the past several decades of rampant energy use, pollution, massive immigration, environmental destruction, and general social decay. However, hope is on the horizon. Theo is dragged into the plea of the seemingly friendly eco-terrorists that have found the solution to the infertility problem, and needs to get her out of the country. Her, is a young woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) that has become pregnant, and for reasons unexplained, will be the answer to this global problem as long as she can be safely brought to “The Human Project”. This research project of sorts is shrouded in mystery and is difficult to find. Theo is the only person who can get papers to get Kee out of the country, and Kee is told only to trust Theo. Thus, the trek begins. Theo, Kee, her midwife/caretaker Miriam, Julian (Julianne Moore) and Luke, both involved in the leadership of the terrorist organization, begin a little road trip through the English countryside to bring Kee to The Human Project. However, along the way they come under attack by renegades, and Julian is fatally shot. Shortly after the survivors avoid the attack they are stopped by police. Luke swiftly kills the officers, making them all fugitives, who then head for a safe house run by the terrorists. After Theo overhears that the terrorists themselves conspired the attack in order to use Kee and her pregnancy as political leverage against the government, Theo decides to high tale it out of there for some safer accommodations. From here he brings Kee to his confidant Jasper (Michael Caine), who grows his own marijuana and lives in solitude with his catatonic wife. They were both politically active until the government silenced their resistance.
The three protagonists were only able to rest a short time before the terrorists pick up the scent of their trail and sent them running again, to the tune of Jasper’s demise. Before this happens, Jasper was able to help them connect with Syd, a member of a security force that can help them on their way. The only thing is that they must now be smuggled into a refugee camp in order to get to a boat off shore that will bring them to the Human Project. Syd meets Theo, Kee, and Miriam at an abandoned school, which served as a dead relic the joy of the fertile past. After Syd transports the three of them to the camps gates they are then put on a bus and brought into the extremely dangerous and heavily guarded camp. This only happens after Kee’s water breaks on the ride, and Miriam is taken off the bus by faking to be a religious maniac and disappears into the depths of a detention center. Once inside they find a contact for shelter and food. That night Kee gives birth to her baby, a girl. The next morning, Syd returns dressed in non military attire to bring them to their next point. However, upon finding the baby Syd turns on them and wants the child for himself. After a struggle, shots fired, and Theo bashing in Syd’s face with a car battery they escape to another shelter. As they relax in an apartment, a rebellion is building outside that has been provoked by the terrorists chasing Theo and Kee. Once all hell begins to break loose, the terrorists lead by Luke find Theo and Kee, as the military is trying to quell the rebellion. In a single shot scene that lasts for several minutes, we follow Theo through an apartment building under attack to find the new born and Kee. As he tries to lead her to safety from the building, the noise of the baby over powers the muzzle flashes and exploding walls. An infantryman finds them coming down the stairs and orders a ceasefire. Theo, Kee, and her baby exit the building while silencing both sides of the fighting, only to have it resume with an explosion as they leave the area. They eventually are lead into a sewer pipe that serves as an entry and exit point to the camp. They are put into a small dingy-like boat and row out into the water, only to leave explosions and chaos behind them. As they rock through the water, Theo helps Kee learn her first skills as a mother. This happens all as Theo grows extremely weary and reveals he has been wounded during the melee.
The story closes as they reach a buoy that serves as a rendezvous point. However, Theo slumps where he sits, and slowly slips into death leaving Kee by herself to utter his name into the wind. The Tomorrow, the name of the ship run by the Human Project, is seen as having spotted the dingy. Kee sees it as well, and tells Theo everything will be alright. The seen goes dark only to reveal an ominous title staring back at the movie viewer. We are left with the feeling that tomorrow will be another day, and life will hopefully go on. Children of Men serves as a reminder that life will end for us all one day, but the human race must go on. The movie often makes small references to how our current 21st century lifestyle will lead to our demise in the future. Or perhaps the people who made this movie wanted us to buy stock in the idea that the human spirit triumphs all. Who really knows for sure. What we do know is that this movie was shot with intensity and fervor for the protagonist to be challenged, and lends insight into how an everyday guy can help save the world. We all might not make it in the end, but as James Bond once referenced, tomorrow never dies.
- Weekday Warrior
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