Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this dystopian drama includes such intense violence and other mature elements that you'll probably want to keep kids away (that is, if they're even interested). The film depicts a near-future world in the midst of anarchy, where terrorism is a constant threat. Characters drink, smoke, and use drugs frequently; a pot-dealing character is one of the most endearing in the film. Scenes include scary surprise attacks, drawn-out gunfire and shelling episodes, bloody amputated bodies, burning dead animals, and gory one-on-one combat. Some scenes are filmed in a way that makes viewers feel viscerally connected to the action, including the sense of intense threat and exhilaration. A very realistic and graphic childbirth scene occurs.
Families can talk about the movie's vision of the future -- and your own thoughts about what it might be like. Why do so many movies have a bleak vision of the future? Are you optimistic about it? Why or why not? What do you think is the biggest threat to the world's future? How do you balance daily life with thoughts or fears about greater social problems like war or environmental pollution? What do you think happens in the movie's imaginary world after the credits roll? How realistic do you think a scenario like this is?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sierra Filucci
Set in Great Britain in 2027, CHILDREN OF MEN is an intensely violent, dystopian vision of a future in which women are infertile and the world is in the midst of complete social collapse. Working from a screenplay he co-wrote (based on P.D. James' novel), director Alfonso Cuarón paints a gritty, paranoid, and occasionally hopeful picture, drawing on modern anxieties about war, terrorism, immigration, race, class, pollution, and technology.
When 18-year-old Baby Diego, one of the last children born on Earth, is murdered, his death sets off massive protests and violent conflicts between sectarian groups. Bureaucrat Theo (Clive Owen) finds himself reluctantly drawn in to the fray when his ex-wife, Julian (Julianne Moore) -- head of an underground opposition group called The Fishes -- asks him for help transporting a special passenger out of London.
In a chaotic Big-Brother atmosphere, in which flashing signs and public announcements remind citizens to turn in immigrants to the authorities, Theo joins The Fishes to bring the refugee -- a young West African woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), who turns out to be pregnant -- to The Human Project, an aid organization operating from a ship offshore. After marauders attack Theo's caravan, the rescue team regroups in a remote farmhouse. Theo soon has to escape again (in an escapade that's nail-biting and somehow also funny), this time with Kee and a midwife in tow.
The trio relocates to the house of Theo's good friend, Jasper (Michael Caine), where the former political cartoonist offers them shelter and encouragement. Caine's character is a bright spot in an otherwise depressing story -- though caring for his catatonic wife in isolation, he remains cheerful and passionate, enjoying food, music, and occasional company with heartfelt glee (helped along, perhaps, by the large quantities of marijuana that he smokes).
The group's ensuing struggle to reach the Human Project leads them through a squalid, teeming refugee camp and ultimately to a mad pursuit that includes some of the most graphic, gripping, and engrossing filmmaking in recent memory. Cuarón's documentary-style camera work brings the viewer right into the action (including constant automatic gunfire, exploding shells, blood splatter, the anguished moaning of victims, etc.). The movie's abrupt ending, while disorienting at first, is a relief from the film's intensity and places the story in stark relief.
Dark, intense and violent, Children of Men is most certainly not for kids -- and even most teens. Pregnant women and new parents also might want to avoid it, due to the focus on threats to children and the intense birth scene.
Mature fans might also enjoy V for Vendetta, Blade Runner, and The Handmaid's Tale.
Reviewed: 03/27/2007
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Sexual ContentMention of promiscuity. Kee is the anti-virgin birthing the messiah in this twist on a Christmas story. Some brief and minor nudity. Graphic childbirth scene. |
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ViolenceAbsolutely over-the-top realistic graphic violence, including gunfire and shelling, bloody amputated bodies, burning dead animals, and gory one-on-one combat. |
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LanguageConstant "f--k," "s--t," and everything else you can imagine. |
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Social BehaviorSet amid extreme violence and social unrest, the film is about hope for the future. The main characters are good, if complex and flawed, people. One main character is a loveable pot-dealer and smoker. Lots of different races and ethnicities involved, some in powerful positions. People viewers think are good sometimes turn out bad. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoThe main character is an alcoholic who drinks and smokes cigarettes constantly. Another main character grows, smokes, and sells marijuana. Cigarettes and alcohol are often in background scenes. Imaginary euthanasia drug called "Quietus" is advertised and probably employed by a major character. |
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