Children Of Men (2006) Dir: Alfonso Cuarón
Instagram post:
I knew that Alfonso Cuarón's 2006 dystopian thriller, based on the 1992 novel of the same name by P. D. James, was considered to be a phenomenal piece of cinema, but it took me a little while to get to it. I wanted to be in the right mindset to watch it - I'm glad I waited. I wasn't quite prepared for how visceral an experience I would be in for.
The premise might be one of science fiction, but a lot of the world-building, the narrative context, if you will, was literally ahead of its time. The film had a depressingly close to home interpretation of what the near future might look like - a lot of the things that Cuarón portrayed didn't feel a million miles away from real life, or a potential real future. It was both haunting and powerful.
I thought that the pov-style camerawork, which was superb, made the action sequences incredibly intense, and gave the film a grounded sense of realism. There are some horrifyingly realistic depictions of violence, many of them during lengthy, hand-held one-shots, which make for some brutal and impactful sequences.
A sombre soundtrack accompanied a simultaneously bleak and hopeful story, which highlighted the best and worst of mankind. The journey-type narrative may not be unfamiliar, particularly in regards to dystopian cinema, but there aren't many examples, if any, that have been this well done and this emotionally devastating.
I thought that Clive Owen was exceedingly captivating. He showed enough personality to be interesting, without ever distracting from the seriousness and realism of the film around him. There were times where he needed to be a vehicle for the plot, and times where he needed to bring focus to emotion and purpose, both of which he executed brilliantly.
Clare-Hope Ashitey was wonderfully believable, and found a way to be effortlessly endearing in a film full of heavy themes and intense crisis points. In the moments where she could show more character, she did so, and made herself easy to root for and with.
For me, the supporting cast were all truly exemplary, with the best of those quality performances coming from Pam Ferris, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine - they all delivered superbly in their roles. I will also give credit to the trio of Charlie Hunnam, Peter Mullan and Danny Huston for their smaller, but still good, roles.
Overall, I thought this was a masterpiece. It was so driven, so emotional and so brilliantly composed. It does all the things that the best dystopian films do and does them better. Few films have executed long takes the way this one has too, it wad quite breathtaking. It's the kind of film that stays with you for a long time.
留言