Children of Men

I went into the scifi thriller Children of Men this weekend not really knowing what to expect. I love Julianne Moore and Clive Owen, but the movie seems to be completely under the radar. Maybe every once in a while a tv commercial will come on that says, "A Bladerunner for the 21st century," but that's about it.

But I'm glad I gave the movie a chance because was riveting. It was terribly difficult to watch and completely stressful, but also thought-provoking and mezmerizing. I'm convinced more than ever that Clive Owen is a brilliant actor. He does just as well in this sort of "every man" action role as he does in the very character-specific dramatic roles of say Gosford Park or Croupier.

When you go to the theatre to check out this film, you'll find yourself immersed in a world of decay and violence. There are images that seem just out of of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and scenes of terrorist bombings that could be taking place in almost any major city today. This "future" is so bleak that humans have even lost the ability to have children.

What's so harrowing about Alfonso Cuaron's new film is that it is meant to take place only 20 years in our future. Sadly, his vision of 2027 seems fairly convincing--a place where pollution, war, and the suspension of human rights and dignity have created a world in which none of us will want to live. You might even say a world in which none of us would want to bring new life.