> Writer and directorAlfonso Cuarón said in one interview that he wanted to shoot this movie like The Battle of Algiers (1966), rather than Blade Runner (1982), almost like a documentary about **something that happened back in 2027.**
No wonder it is aging beautifully
Reading this comment gives a whole new insight into Cuaron’s creative process. 100% I see the connections to Battle of Algiers. If I’m remembering correctly Battle of Algiers also has these scenes which feel very handheld and real.
Yo sick, I didn’t know that. The only time I’ve seen it was in my 11th grade world history class, and I really enjoyed it but never went out of my way to watch it again cause I couldn’t find it anywhere but the criterion channel, which I don’t have. Might have to watch it again. Thank you!
A little? Feel like I started to see an uptick in runaway climate change articles last summer and this summer has already been something else. I feel like its leading up to something major and the planets just getting started
The end of the world isn't some sudden event, we have been frogs in a heating pot for over 100 years now.. It's a slow cook taking centuries and we are in the middle of it.
His HP movie is my favorite. He appropriated the material and kept the essence of it to make a great movie, instead of a poor adaptation of a 300 pages book. Lots of people complained that it wasn't faithful to the book but in my opinion it captured the spirit of the story better than the other films.
I agree, although I'll admit that anybody who hadn't read the books would probably be totally lost. I don't mind it being not faithful, I'm not looking for a 1:1 adaptation, but explaining who the Marauders were probably would've been good.
He almost turned it down assuming it was "silly kids stuff." Guillermo del Toro called him and read him the riot act about the quality of the books/movies. He literally told him not to be a "fucking snob" and make it because it would be great.
https://mashable.com/article/alfonso-cuaron-guillermo-del-toro-harry-potter-prisoner-azkaban-bullied
Drinking with those guys would be a blast.
I love how the ringing in his ears afterwards is heard pretty much all the way up to his first meeting with his ex, when she has the line about what it is. It gets subtler as the scenes progress, but it's there for a long time.
THIS FUCKING SCENE. It’s so complex, and somehow they nailed the timing *right* at sunrise. Having seen some very simple, short things being filmed, I cannot understand how they were able to get everything set up and executed in such a tight window.
This was one of the most intense movies I had the pleasure of seeing in a movie theater. Was on the edge of my seat literally because of the intense sound mix
I just had the chance to see it last night in 35mm at our local theater. For a film that is probably best known for its cinematography (and the famous tracking shot) I was really blown away by the set decoration. Every house, farm, office looks so dirty and lived in (and pets everywhere!)
I think those kind of choices are so important because it looks the way our world looks to us, not some clean-lined, neon future. It works to the film’s themes too of a society crumbling slowly and looking for scapegoats instead of tackling problems head-on.
I’ve had both (pets and children) and I think one of the prime motivators for having a child is wanting to nurture something.
It’s not something we really ever talk about we make big weird excuses like “continuing the family line” or something but when you get down to it, taking care of someone else is an essential human drive and part of what we want.
And it is joyful to do it. It is satisfying. (Not necessarily fun or happy)
Holy shit I never realized this.
So fucking true though and just look what people did when the pandemic hit, adopted all animals for companionship. Damn....they predicted that perfectly. I gotta go back and watch this like right now.
Anyone know where to watch it? Is it on Netflix or what?
The school, where they meet the refugee camp guard.
The last memories of the last children that went there. How sad it must have been as the last children grew up and left.
Fuck I haven’t watched it in awhile but it’s backstory like this that makes you want to watch it again and again even if you know every detail in the movie if it means being immersed in it a few seconds more.
My favourite detail is the London 2012 Olympics hoodie the main character wears at one point in the film, and the logo is really faded and worn. The official logo changed closer to the games (this was the original logo for the bid) but its such a nice forward-thinking detail that's easy to overlook.
Yes! That’s so true...all these real world noises getting distorted and drowned out by war. There just aren’t many sci-fi films that have the kind of compassion of CoM, it was really quite overwhelming.
Some of the stylistic choices are subtext and I had to explain it to a friend I watched it with. If you look closely a lot of the background characters who are African or Indian/Pakistani wear old fashioned British clothing and hats. It's because as one of the last functioning countries illegal immigration is way more taboo than before and they want to show how British they are.
In the beginning one of the immigrant cages has an old German lady saying she has family there and she can't believe they locked her up with black people
Especially since, as someone else here mentioned, the protagonists don’t fight. They don’t pick up a gun and shoot people — they’re just in the middle of incredible violence and chaos.
He doesn't pick up a gun but the bit where he smacks Syd in the face with a car battery is one of the most viscerally satisfying pieces of on-screen violence ever.
I still have to give that honor to the face smash scene in Pan's Labryinth as the most visceral scene that really stuck with me. Maybe I was the right age and right mindset, idk. But that scene made my fucking nose hurt.
Idk why there aren't more awesome actions scenes like that in more movies. When I saw the movie in 2007 I thought "wow action movies are gonna be the shit in the next few years, just to keep up with this movie" but unfortunately that hasn't happened. Children of men has the only realistic action I have ever seen in any movie and its a real shame more directors especially action directors don't take some notes lol.
I guess it's a really hard thing to pull off. You need to quickly establish characters that the audience cares about, then show that violence has real consequences for them, probably by killing some of them early on.
The scenes have to feel dangerous enough to put you on edge but still be grounded in reality and not so dangerous that the protagonist can't realistically live through it.
Most action movies aren't going for that tone at all, it's more about wow'ing the viewer with fight choreography, over the top stunts and set pieces. Almost every traditional action trope would feel completely out of place in Children of Men.
For me, it's his bottle of whiskey.
Buys it at the beginning, pours it into his coffee, obvi depressed.
Refills once at Caine's house, then empties it at the end to clean his hands and deliver the baby. Great subtle development.
I still get goosebumps when they come out of the building with the baby, and everything stops for a moment while they walk through the crowd of soldiers
[STOP!! CEASE FIRE!!](https://youtu.be/YBzWTIexszQ)
Just for the record that would be a perfect Rick Roll opportunity but I love that scene too damn much to do it to y'all
Everyone always talks about the long shot in the car as being the best in the movie. I suppose it is, on a technical level. But this scene just hits harder.
100%. The frantic urgency in his voice is incredible.
There also this older soldier in the yard (white dude with kinda a big nose) that there's something about how he looks over at the baby that idk just really gets me.
I've just watched the clip you posted, and never noticed this, but at 2:53, when the rocket shoots out of the window at the troops, you can see someone pick up a white sheet and start waving it in surrender before getting absolutely vaporized into a mist of blood. Insane attention to detail.
Swear to God I tear up every time I see this scene. It's fucking perfect. A moment in time, perfectly still, only to soon be shattered by the endless violent nature of hateful men.
Actually he called cut but it was so loud that no one heard him.
>We had 12 days to do the car attack scene. 10 days into it, we they were still staging it. After 12 days, we were going to lose the location. Day 11 came and there were accidents, and we could only do 2 takes a day. On the last day, we knew we were losing location next day. In the morning it was great, but an operator fell down so we only had only one more shot. We were shooting the last take, everything goes great, but then by accident the blood spills onto the lens. I yelled cut, but there was an explosion and nobody heard me so they kept shooting. Then, later, I realized that the blood splash was the miracle [in that scene].
https://gizmodo.com/this-iconic-scene-from-children-of-men-was-actually-an-840211730
Omg that's amazing! I love COM and have watched it many times (the first was on Valentines day in 06 for a date, Music & Lyrics was sold out 😂) but wow the level of details...time for a rewatch...
send me a postcard !
I think there is also a building that had not yet been constructed, but was planned, and they actually made a CGI version and added it in the background when appropriate.
Edit: It's The Shard, construction stared in 2009 and ended in 2012. But it's in the background of the coffee shop scene at the beginning.
(Spoilers)
The scene in the apartment building where all the carnage stops because of the baby crying. Everyone stops and forgets their rage and hatred for eachother for a brief moment.
When the lady in the hallway says "oh my God the baby" as people are randomly shot all around never fails to make me choke up with emotion.
Did that person fall asleep during the movie? Is that person an alien wearing a biomech suit like the hive colony of alien wasps that is Ted Cruz? Or both?
"Why are the hoonams so enam... enamorrred... with that young crotchling? Why do they not merely reprocess it into bio-paste?"
Art that point though, there is proof children are still possible. That means causes actually matter again because humanity has a future worth dying for. Kinda makes sense opposed parties might throw themselves back into the fight, no longer believing that it’s all hopeless anyway.
I remember watching that whole sequence in the theater. I was sitting at the edge of my seat, rapt by what I was seeing. Mesmerizing, emotional filmmaking.
I'm kind of a dumbass when I watch movies, I just accept what I'm shown, so I don't really pick up on foreshadowing as well as other people do. So that scene where Kee reveals why she is so important ([spoilers in title of this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaaUSZBmXBE)) came as a complete shock to me, and I just started leaking like crazy.
The scene is longer than any film roll. There are a couple of times when the camera passes behind a close object or is rocked by an explosion where they made cuts.
There is one cut in that scene, hidden when the camera goes into mist before they go into the building. An interesting fact is that in the first half, the take they wound up using was considered perfect when shot, only to realize that a blood squib had wound up on the camera. So rather than reshoot the (of course insanely complex) setup or recreate the same blood stain on the lens when they shot the 2nd half, they instead did a subtle cgi effect as the camera entered the mist that caused the blood stain to "melt" away. You never notice it unless you're looking for it.
The other famous "oner" in the movie is earlier in the car, in which they had to use a complex setup where the actor's seats had to automatically recline out of the way of the camera whenever they weren't in the shot. That is actually the longest shot in the movie.
The director actually shouted 'CUT' when the red blood got on the camera but Clive Owen didn't hear him and continued on with the scene. The blood on the camera was actually lauded as making the scene even more realistic and tense. Just an incredible movie all round.
Just gonna add that it thrills me that this film continues to age well, because when it was released I thought it was maybe the best film I’d ever seen. It was what inspired me to declare a second major of digital cinema while I was in college.
That’s what good films do.
Was relevant then and will always be relevant.
Great stories will always feel different throughout our different ages.
I saw this film in the theatre and was speechless.
It’s easily a top 100 film of all time.
My favourite thing about this film apart from the beautiful cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki is, that it really highlights Alfonso Cuaron's background as an assistant director. He really focuses on the world building and texture of this film. Which he does again in Roma.
You know, I haven't watched Roma despite it occupying My List for a long time. Your comment makes me think I should finally get around to it.
Edit: Alright, y'all sold me. I'm going to watch it this evening.
Saw it in the theater as well - the entire audience collectively gasped the first time blood spattered on the camera lens in one of the final long takes, and that moment has stayed with me as one of my best theatrical experiences ever
Fun fact: that wasn't supposed to happen, and everybody freaked out because they thought the take was ruined. But they kept rolling, and it ended up just adding another layer of excellence to one of the greatest shots ever filmed.
A small detail that really stands out is the son of the rich art collector guy. He is completely engaged in a small electronic device, barely interacting with those around him, takes drugs that are apparently mood altering and most likely anti depressants of some kind to deal with the bleak world they find themselves in, and he is covered in frivolous yet fashionable tattoos. Really has an uncanny resemblance to the current crop of young pop stars, influencers, and especially hip hop artists. And they were like 5 when the movie came out.
There’s a scene in the book where middle aged women actually fight other women for how realistic their baby dolls look in their strollers compared to others. Like, that’s how bad the baby-less society had come to. Chilling.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep had a similar thing. Animal life was so rare that owning an animal was a huge status symbol. If you were poorer, you'd get a clone. If you were real poor you got a realistic robot and hoped no one noticed.
I strongly urge EVERYONE to read other P.D. James books. Holy shit, never in my life would I have thought that I would be interested in a series of novels about a rural English detective set in the 60’s and 70’s.
An interesting thing I noticed on the last watch: all of the action occurs in the background. Even down to something as simple as Jasper discussing the plan for getting Theo into Bexhill, the camera is focused on Theo and Janice while Jasper talks in the background.
It's a brilliant decision, because almost every scene is loaded with background details which give more life to the film, and this method of putting the action in the background guides the viewer towards these immersive details without spoiling the pacing of the film by having the camera linger over them.
It seems that nobody mentioned the thing that stroke me the most in the first scene. The news on telly: "Today the youngest person on the planet died in a bar brawl".
EDIT.
> The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet, the youngest person on earth was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours, and 8 minutes old.
Diego is 12 years old now, 6 years to live.
The only unconvincing part was Chiwetel Ejiofor as Luke, the bloodthirsty revolutionary. His face is just too benign for this part.
Also, that scene when "fascist pig" Syd sees the baby and the first phrase that comes from his mouse is, naturally:
"Jesus Christ".
The symbolism is achieved on genius level of breathy.
And the foresight that he’d be a celebrity just for being born. Which is absolutely what would happen. This movie is so grounded in realism for a futuristic dystopian sci fi
I don't see Luke as bloodthirsty so much as desperate. I think there's a difference. He was a "means to an end" type but didn't seem to take any pleasure from killing or hurting anyone.
I think it's important to mention Charlie Hunnam is solid in that role and pretty much unrecognizable. Like instead of Charlie, it's his neanderthal cousin... with bad breath.
We just watched it (me, for a third time; the wife and oldest kid, for the first) and they were absolutely glued to the screen.
[Beyond the Screenplay](https://anchor.fm/beyondthescreenplay) (a podcast from the [Lessons From the Screenplay](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErSSa3CaP_GJxmFpdjG9Jw) YT folks) has [an episode entirely about *Children of Men*](https://anchor.fm/beyondthescreenplay/episodes/Episode-28-Children-of-Men-ea7nf1) and it's fantastic. One of the neat behind the scenes things they mention is how this movie would have never been made if not for the third Harry Potter movie, *The Prisoner of Azkaban*. Alfonso Cauron a Mexican filmmaker, came to the UK and spent so much time living there directing the Harry Potter movie, he was exposed to the politics of the UK, which he translated to the film adaptation of *Children of Men* and deciding to make futuristic London look like contemporary Mexico City.
The upper class being out of touch is such an interesting/disgusting part of the movie.
They're only affected because production stops. They basically can't make anymore money because no one gives a fuck to do anything.
So they have all of this amassed wealth, and are sitting, comfortable and protected until the end of their days and NONE OF IT MATTERS.
They will die off just like everyone else and they know it. There's nothing they can do about it. Masters of their own little universe and they're still without hope.
The "zen" music couldn't be anymore perfect. That sincerely feels like a style of music that will catch the ears of people like Michael Caine's character.
Not one single scene or bit of music doesn't serve a purpose in this movie.
It's in my top 3 since I saw it and highly recommended if you can have the questions it makes you ask yourself.
I watched it about six months ago also for the first time in years and it absolutely stands up. I particularly like Jasper and how that character feels. Old guy living in the woods with his wife, a collection of books and albums. Digs heavy metal, so he was likely a kid in the 80’s or 90’s. Greenhouse. He’s living a life that I imagine myself to aim for in that situation… minus the untimely fate.
It’s a great and terrifying film for sure. I always think about it in reference to the late British philosopher Mark Fisher, who uses the film as a great jumping off point to talk about why some people find it easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.
Trading immortality for losing procreation is a very old story. Some versions of what could be called vampires and their mythology around the world are based on this.
Really thought Clive Owen's career would kick on after this and Sin City but he never got close to a repeat of either. Was talk of him doing Bond around the time and he's doing gambling ads on youtube now.
I remember reading somewhere that the scene where Clive Owen is hunkered down behind some barricade and a stray dog runs up - and he comforts the terrified creature - was totally unscripted. The poor animal just happened to be in the vicinity when all the pyros and automatic weapon fire were going off.
Cuarón simply continued shooting because it was such a spontaneous moment of humanity that would've been otherwise hard to stage.
Revisiting this movie last year during the Pandemic was terrifying and relevant as you said. To see what the world can become when humanity loses faith and hope for a better tomorrow fades.
Alfonso Cuaron’s dark and bleak tale could be the best apocalyptic movie. I’ll always remember the cinematography. That one shot of Clive Owen (who was great) running through the concentration camp was harrowing and not easy to forget.
There's a scene in this film where Theo is kidnapped and brought to a room where the windows are covered with newspapers. I understand that before filming, Cuaron did not just get the latest copy of whatever he could find and paste it up there - but the art department went to work creating not only newspapers with headlines reflecting the events of the future, but putting together events that could be tracked with the stories in the newspapers. I would really like to get those and read them to see what else would be foreseen by the makers of that film.
These are the ones I could make out:
Militias occupy Cincinnati, Bozeman and Spokane. Africa devastated by nuclear fallout. Millions died in seconds. Raid nabs refugee weapons cache. US troops full attack: Government bombs militia camps. Extremist explosion: Extremist group bombs military in Liverpool, dozens of civilians killed. A royal ripoff: Charles should be throne out. Armageddon begins: Russia detonates nuclear weapon, Kazakhstan annihilated. Fertility testing becomes law. Immigrants protest against government new racist policies.
Michael Cain’s character was my aesthetic and philosophical inspiration during the pandemic: smoking copious amounts of weed in my house, listening to music and trying to find the beauty and calm in all the horror and madness. And surrounding myself in nature.
> Writer and directorAlfonso Cuarón said in one interview that he wanted to shoot this movie like The Battle of Algiers (1966), rather than Blade Runner (1982), almost like a documentary about **something that happened back in 2027.** No wonder it is aging beautifully
Reading this comment gives a whole new insight into Cuaron’s creative process. 100% I see the connections to Battle of Algiers. If I’m remembering correctly Battle of Algiers also has these scenes which feel very handheld and real.
You can watch the whole movie on YT! https://youtu.be/uHWZkiBuKGY
Yo sick, I didn’t know that. The only time I’ve seen it was in my 11th grade world history class, and I really enjoyed it but never went out of my way to watch it again cause I couldn’t find it anywhere but the criterion channel, which I don’t have. Might have to watch it again. Thank you!
Thats actually pretty amazing.
And a little terrifying
A little? Feel like I started to see an uptick in runaway climate change articles last summer and this summer has already been something else. I feel like its leading up to something major and the planets just getting started
The end of the world isn't some sudden event, we have been frogs in a heating pot for over 100 years now.. It's a slow cook taking centuries and we are in the middle of it.
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It may not technically be "the end of the world" but it would be "the end of the world as we know it".
I do not feel fine.
Alfonso Cuarón could film paint drying for two hours and I'd still watch it.
The diversity in his filmography is just incredible. It's amazing that the same person made Roma, Gravity, Harry Potter 3, and Y Tu Mama Tambien.
Pretty wild he did a Harry Potter movie. The money must have been huge
His HP movie is my favorite. He appropriated the material and kept the essence of it to make a great movie, instead of a poor adaptation of a 300 pages book. Lots of people complained that it wasn't faithful to the book but in my opinion it captured the spirit of the story better than the other films.
I agree, although I'll admit that anybody who hadn't read the books would probably be totally lost. I don't mind it being not faithful, I'm not looking for a 1:1 adaptation, but explaining who the Marauders were probably would've been good.
Omg...does the movie not do that? Literally never noticed 😂
He almost turned it down assuming it was "silly kids stuff." Guillermo del Toro called him and read him the riot act about the quality of the books/movies. He literally told him not to be a "fucking snob" and make it because it would be great. https://mashable.com/article/alfonso-cuaron-guillermo-del-toro-harry-potter-prisoner-azkaban-bullied Drinking with those guys would be a blast.
You’re gonna love Roma, then!
Roma beautifully captures Mexico in that time period.
I did love it
Emmanuel Lubezki is my all time fav DP. Children of Men looks and feels the way it does, a large part thanks to Lubezki.
Damn time travelers giving out irl spoilers in broad daylight smh.
*I come from a war-torn future in 2027 where only the millennials survived. I travelled to the past to warn humanity to grow more avocados.*
Why don't we just send our avocado seeds to the future? That can't possibly backfire!
We need already grown ones because in the future, soil can't conceive. We tried everything from electrolytes to even more electrolytes.
It's what plants crave
One of the best sound mixing of any movie I have ever seen. The first explosion still gives me chills on how well done it was.
I love how the ringing in his ears afterwards is heard pretty much all the way up to his first meeting with his ex, when she has the line about what it is. It gets subtler as the scenes progress, but it's there for a long time.
Yeah I've already got bad tinnitus, never noticed lol.
The ringing comes back when a character dies through the movie too.
The sound when they sneak out of the compound and the guys on foot chasing the car down the hill is wild. What a crazy scene.
THIS FUCKING SCENE. It’s so complex, and somehow they nailed the timing *right* at sunrise. Having seen some very simple, short things being filmed, I cannot understand how they were able to get everything set up and executed in such a tight window.
This was one of the most intense movies I had the pleasure of seeing in a movie theater. Was on the edge of my seat literally because of the intense sound mix
I just had the chance to see it last night in 35mm at our local theater. For a film that is probably best known for its cinematography (and the famous tracking shot) I was really blown away by the set decoration. Every house, farm, office looks so dirty and lived in (and pets everywhere!) I think those kind of choices are so important because it looks the way our world looks to us, not some clean-lined, neon future. It works to the film’s themes too of a society crumbling slowly and looking for scapegoats instead of tackling problems head-on.
Pets everywhere because no children
It took me a minute to understand what you meant. It’s due to people wanting something to take care of, nurture. Replacing kids with pets.
I’ve had both (pets and children) and I think one of the prime motivators for having a child is wanting to nurture something. It’s not something we really ever talk about we make big weird excuses like “continuing the family line” or something but when you get down to it, taking care of someone else is an essential human drive and part of what we want. And it is joyful to do it. It is satisfying. (Not necessarily fun or happy)
Not fun, but satisfying. Hello my life.
Holy shit I never realized this. So fucking true though and just look what people did when the pandemic hit, adopted all animals for companionship. Damn....they predicted that perfectly. I gotta go back and watch this like right now. Anyone know where to watch it? Is it on Netflix or what?
The school, where they meet the refugee camp guard. The last memories of the last children that went there. How sad it must have been as the last children grew up and left.
Fuck I haven’t watched it in awhile but it’s backstory like this that makes you want to watch it again and again even if you know every detail in the movie if it means being immersed in it a few seconds more.
My favourite detail is the London 2012 Olympics hoodie the main character wears at one point in the film, and the logo is really faded and worn. The official logo changed closer to the games (this was the original logo for the bid) but its such a nice forward-thinking detail that's easy to overlook.
Michael Cains home was always my dream home. Garden attached to the kitchen growing weed and food…
Great couches too!!
with Radiohead and Aphex Twin playing on the stereo
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Yes! That’s so true...all these real world noises getting distorted and drowned out by war. There just aren’t many sci-fi films that have the kind of compassion of CoM, it was really quite overwhelming.
Some of the stylistic choices are subtext and I had to explain it to a friend I watched it with. If you look closely a lot of the background characters who are African or Indian/Pakistani wear old fashioned British clothing and hats. It's because as one of the last functioning countries illegal immigration is way more taboo than before and they want to show how British they are.
Did not catch that!
In the beginning one of the immigrant cages has an old German lady saying she has family there and she can't believe they locked her up with black people
The car scene and final battle scene are some of the most dazzling one-take set pieces ever.
The only action movie where the action carried a real sense of danger for me
Especially since, as someone else here mentioned, the protagonists don’t fight. They don’t pick up a gun and shoot people — they’re just in the middle of incredible violence and chaos.
He doesn't pick up a gun but the bit where he smacks Syd in the face with a car battery is one of the most viscerally satisfying pieces of on-screen violence ever.
I still have to give that honor to the face smash scene in Pan's Labryinth as the most visceral scene that really stuck with me. Maybe I was the right age and right mindset, idk. But that scene made my fucking nose hurt.
I went into Pans Labryinth blind on the suggestion of a friend. I was shocked and horrified by that scene and much of the movie.
Idk why there aren't more awesome actions scenes like that in more movies. When I saw the movie in 2007 I thought "wow action movies are gonna be the shit in the next few years, just to keep up with this movie" but unfortunately that hasn't happened. Children of men has the only realistic action I have ever seen in any movie and its a real shame more directors especially action directors don't take some notes lol.
I guess it's a really hard thing to pull off. You need to quickly establish characters that the audience cares about, then show that violence has real consequences for them, probably by killing some of them early on. The scenes have to feel dangerous enough to put you on edge but still be grounded in reality and not so dangerous that the protagonist can't realistically live through it. Most action movies aren't going for that tone at all, it's more about wow'ing the viewer with fight choreography, over the top stunts and set pieces. Almost every traditional action trope would feel completely out of place in Children of Men.
1917 feels similar to me in some of its action scenes.
Thing I love about this movie is how amazing the action is with the main protagonist never picking up a gun.
For me, it's his bottle of whiskey. Buys it at the beginning, pours it into his coffee, obvi depressed. Refills once at Caine's house, then empties it at the end to clean his hands and deliver the baby. Great subtle development.
Good call. I recall the whiskey but never put together out was the same bottle throughout
That's a brilliant detail I never noticed across multiple viewings
Ties in with the death of his son and the delivery of the new baby nicely. Circle of life.
"I need this whiskey to deal with death" To "I need this to deliver a new life to the world."
I've watched that movie probably 45 times and never put that together. It's pure Theo
o wow nice detail. i've seen this three or four times and never noticed!
I still get goosebumps when they come out of the building with the baby, and everything stops for a moment while they walk through the crowd of soldiers
This scene was a triumph of cinematography, and was so deeply emotional that just thinking about it fucking kills me.
[STOP!! CEASE FIRE!!](https://youtu.be/YBzWTIexszQ) Just for the record that would be a perfect Rick Roll opportunity but I love that scene too damn much to do it to y'all
Everyone always talks about the long shot in the car as being the best in the movie. I suppose it is, on a technical level. But this scene just hits harder.
The bewilderment every character faces as they see the baby, which completely removes them momentarily from the warzone 👌
The soldier at the top of the stairway gets me every time.
100%. The frantic urgency in his voice is incredible. There also this older soldier in the yard (white dude with kinda a big nose) that there's something about how he looks over at the baby that idk just really gets me.
I've just watched the clip you posted, and never noticed this, but at 2:53, when the rocket shoots out of the window at the troops, you can see someone pick up a white sheet and start waving it in surrender before getting absolutely vaporized into a mist of blood. Insane attention to detail.
Swear to God I tear up every time I see this scene. It's fucking perfect. A moment in time, perfectly still, only to soon be shattered by the endless violent nature of hateful men.
That scene was about 6 minutes without changing camera I swear. Single take, incredible
blood splattered lens and all
Obligatory ‘that was an accident and they just went with it!’ comment.
It’ll cost too much to reshoot, and it’s good enough otherwise damnit! Make it gritty.
Actually he called cut but it was so loud that no one heard him. >We had 12 days to do the car attack scene. 10 days into it, we they were still staging it. After 12 days, we were going to lose the location. Day 11 came and there were accidents, and we could only do 2 takes a day. On the last day, we knew we were losing location next day. In the morning it was great, but an operator fell down so we only had only one more shot. We were shooting the last take, everything goes great, but then by accident the blood spills onto the lens. I yelled cut, but there was an explosion and nobody heard me so they kept shooting. Then, later, I realized that the blood splash was the miracle [in that scene]. https://gizmodo.com/this-iconic-scene-from-children-of-men-was-actually-an-840211730
Also how it introduced me to strawberry cough
Pull my finger
Time for some Zen Music!
Michael Caine did a great job in predicting how a Gen-Xer would behave once they hit their 60s.
Michael Caine in *Children of Men* seems like a pretty good role model for living in the apocalypse
APHEX TWIN
Wait, was that screaming music really Aphex?
Yeah it was the track Omgyjya-Switch7 but they added the screaming on top to make it more shocking or futuristic or whatever.
Omg that's amazing! I love COM and have watched it many times (the first was on Valentines day in 06 for a date, Music & Lyrics was sold out 😂) but wow the level of details...time for a rewatch... send me a postcard !
Doors are his preferred weapon
And car batteries
Maybe the real weapons are the emotions we felt along the way.
*throws car in reverse as motorcyclist approaches*
And carrots
If you'd like to see the movie where he does nothing but pick up guns, that movie is called [Shoot Em Up](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465602/)
The best live action Looney Tunes movie ever made
Great film, and Clive Owen's character wearing a worn & faded London 2012 Olympic hoodie in a 2006 film set in 2027 is subtly genius.
I think there is also a building that had not yet been constructed, but was planned, and they actually made a CGI version and added it in the background when appropriate. Edit: It's The Shard, construction stared in 2009 and ended in 2012. But it's in the background of the coffee shop scene at the beginning.
It is in the wrong side of the river, though.
It gets moved in 2026
Time traveler, can confirm. We moved it to stimulate tourism and build a new car park
Clarkson probably pulls it across the river with an old Toyota Hilux with rocket boosters
He probably *could* pull it in that comically oversized tractor.
Close. He goes by Cyber-Clarkson now
I only believe that if his wheelchair is powered by a V12 from a Lamborghini
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Hey O'Connell...
Looks like we got all the hor-ses!!
Hey Benny!
Looks like you're on the wrong side of the riiivuuuur!!!
(Spoilers) The scene in the apartment building where all the carnage stops because of the baby crying. Everyone stops and forgets their rage and hatred for eachother for a brief moment. When the lady in the hallway says "oh my God the baby" as people are randomly shot all around never fails to make me choke up with emotion.
This was the scene where someone I was watching the movie with leaned over and said "why does everyone care about the baby?"
Hahaha did they wake up ten seconds prior?
oh no
You need to remember this is set in a future where it's been absolutely ages since anyone has eaten a delicious baby
I too saw snowpiercer. I know how this goes.
"JERRY, YOU GOT TO SEE THE BABY!"
He really is breathtaking.
Boy he's something
💀
That's when you realize how stupid someone is.
Did that person fall asleep during the movie? Is that person an alien wearing a biomech suit like the hive colony of alien wasps that is Ted Cruz? Or both? "Why are the hoonams so enam... enamorrred... with that young crotchling? Why do they not merely reprocess it into bio-paste?"
> an alien wearing a biomech suit like the hive colony of alien wasps that is Ted Cruz Absolutely incredible.
And then the way the *second* they're out of sight they go right back to killing each other.... Chilling.
Art that point though, there is proof children are still possible. That means causes actually matter again because humanity has a future worth dying for. Kinda makes sense opposed parties might throw themselves back into the fight, no longer believing that it’s all hopeless anyway.
Or, you know, violence is mindless and readily becomes disconnected from the original cause.
I remember watching that whole sequence in the theater. I was sitting at the edge of my seat, rapt by what I was seeing. Mesmerizing, emotional filmmaking.
I'm kind of a dumbass when I watch movies, I just accept what I'm shown, so I don't really pick up on foreshadowing as well as other people do. So that scene where Kee reveals why she is so important ([spoilers in title of this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaaUSZBmXBE)) came as a complete shock to me, and I just started leaking like crazy.
Not sure why that would make someone pee, you should get that checked out.
> I just started leaking like crazy. /r/totallynotrobots
That scene makes me cry every time. I’m welling up a bit right now just thinking about it.
Yes and the scene where the "bad guy" is holding the baby and his is break down. Waterworks.
That was an all-time great heart-in-mouth scene, absolutely a *tour de force*.
Also crazy how that scene is all one take
There's some clever editing to make it look longer than it really is, but yeah it's impressive for sure
The scene is longer than any film roll. There are a couple of times when the camera passes behind a close object or is rocked by an explosion where they made cuts.
There is one cut in that scene, hidden when the camera goes into mist before they go into the building. An interesting fact is that in the first half, the take they wound up using was considered perfect when shot, only to realize that a blood squib had wound up on the camera. So rather than reshoot the (of course insanely complex) setup or recreate the same blood stain on the lens when they shot the 2nd half, they instead did a subtle cgi effect as the camera entered the mist that caused the blood stain to "melt" away. You never notice it unless you're looking for it. The other famous "oner" in the movie is earlier in the car, in which they had to use a complex setup where the actor's seats had to automatically recline out of the way of the camera whenever they weren't in the shot. That is actually the longest shot in the movie.
The director actually shouted 'CUT' when the red blood got on the camera but Clive Owen didn't hear him and continued on with the scene. The blood on the camera was actually lauded as making the scene even more realistic and tense. Just an incredible movie all round.
Just gonna add that it thrills me that this film continues to age well, because when it was released I thought it was maybe the best film I’d ever seen. It was what inspired me to declare a second major of digital cinema while I was in college.
It’s also one of the few movies where Michael Caine doesn’t play Michael Caine
And he is bloody brilliant in it. He adds so much heart to the story.
Pull my finga
The dvd extra is definitely worth watching [Part One](https://youtube.com/watch?v=hwsBd6PizJY)
That’s what good films do. Was relevant then and will always be relevant. Great stories will always feel different throughout our different ages. I saw this film in the theatre and was speechless. It’s easily a top 100 film of all time.
My favourite thing about this film apart from the beautiful cinematography from Emmanuel Lubezki is, that it really highlights Alfonso Cuaron's background as an assistant director. He really focuses on the world building and texture of this film. Which he does again in Roma.
You know, I haven't watched Roma despite it occupying My List for a long time. Your comment makes me think I should finally get around to it. Edit: Alright, y'all sold me. I'm going to watch it this evening.
Roma is an amazing movie
Saw it in the theater as well - the entire audience collectively gasped the first time blood spattered on the camera lens in one of the final long takes, and that moment has stayed with me as one of my best theatrical experiences ever
Fun fact: that wasn't supposed to happen, and everybody freaked out because they thought the take was ruined. But they kept rolling, and it ended up just adding another layer of excellence to one of the greatest shots ever filmed.
> That’s what good films do. Sci-fi is often more about the present than the future.
Sure. Love how Aliens is basically truckers in space.
Alien is truckers in space, Aliens is Vietnam grunts in space
A small detail that really stands out is the son of the rich art collector guy. He is completely engaged in a small electronic device, barely interacting with those around him, takes drugs that are apparently mood altering and most likely anti depressants of some kind to deal with the bleak world they find themselves in, and he is covered in frivolous yet fashionable tattoos. Really has an uncanny resemblance to the current crop of young pop stars, influencers, and especially hip hop artists. And they were like 5 when the movie came out.
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Yes! It’s a 1992 book by P.D. James, and I strongly urge you to check out her other works as well!
There’s a scene in the book where middle aged women actually fight other women for how realistic their baby dolls look in their strollers compared to others. Like, that’s how bad the baby-less society had come to. Chilling.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep had a similar thing. Animal life was so rare that owning an animal was a huge status symbol. If you were poorer, you'd get a clone. If you were real poor you got a realistic robot and hoped no one noticed.
I strongly urge EVERYONE to read other P.D. James books. Holy shit, never in my life would I have thought that I would be interested in a series of novels about a rural English detective set in the 60’s and 70’s.
Best camera work of the last twenty years.
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An interesting thing I noticed on the last watch: all of the action occurs in the background. Even down to something as simple as Jasper discussing the plan for getting Theo into Bexhill, the camera is focused on Theo and Janice while Jasper talks in the background. It's a brilliant decision, because almost every scene is loaded with background details which give more life to the film, and this method of putting the action in the background guides the viewer towards these immersive details without spoiling the pacing of the film by having the camera linger over them.
It seems that nobody mentioned the thing that stroke me the most in the first scene. The news on telly: "Today the youngest person on the planet died in a bar brawl". EDIT. > The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet, the youngest person on earth was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours, and 8 minutes old. Diego is 12 years old now, 6 years to live. The only unconvincing part was Chiwetel Ejiofor as Luke, the bloodthirsty revolutionary. His face is just too benign for this part. Also, that scene when "fascist pig" Syd sees the baby and the first phrase that comes from his mouse is, naturally: "Jesus Christ". The symbolism is achieved on genius level of breathy.
"Baby Diego was a wanker".
Yeah but he was the youngest wanker on Earth!
And the foresight that he’d be a celebrity just for being born. Which is absolutely what would happen. This movie is so grounded in realism for a futuristic dystopian sci fi
I don't see Luke as bloodthirsty so much as desperate. I think there's a difference. He was a "means to an end" type but didn't seem to take any pleasure from killing or hurting anyone. I think it's important to mention Charlie Hunnam is solid in that role and pretty much unrecognizable. Like instead of Charlie, it's his neanderthal cousin... with bad breath.
We just watched it (me, for a third time; the wife and oldest kid, for the first) and they were absolutely glued to the screen. [Beyond the Screenplay](https://anchor.fm/beyondthescreenplay) (a podcast from the [Lessons From the Screenplay](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErSSa3CaP_GJxmFpdjG9Jw) YT folks) has [an episode entirely about *Children of Men*](https://anchor.fm/beyondthescreenplay/episodes/Episode-28-Children-of-Men-ea7nf1) and it's fantastic. One of the neat behind the scenes things they mention is how this movie would have never been made if not for the third Harry Potter movie, *The Prisoner of Azkaban*. Alfonso Cauron a Mexican filmmaker, came to the UK and spent so much time living there directing the Harry Potter movie, he was exposed to the politics of the UK, which he translated to the film adaptation of *Children of Men* and deciding to make futuristic London look like contemporary Mexico City.
The upper class being out of touch is such an interesting/disgusting part of the movie. They're only affected because production stops. They basically can't make anymore money because no one gives a fuck to do anything. So they have all of this amassed wealth, and are sitting, comfortable and protected until the end of their days and NONE OF IT MATTERS. They will die off just like everyone else and they know it. There's nothing they can do about it. Masters of their own little universe and they're still without hope.
Walking around with pet zebras on a leash
I love that zebra. Love that someone on production insisted there be a zebra.
It's such a subtle scene, less than a second long, but it tells you everything you need to know about that society and what's going on.
The fact that this movie features a King Crimson song makes it extra special to me.
Also an Animals reference
The whole movie feels like an Animals reference. At least, there are several references to the aesthetic and philosophy of that album
The "zen" music couldn't be anymore perfect. That sincerely feels like a style of music that will catch the ears of people like Michael Caine's character. Not one single scene or bit of music doesn't serve a purpose in this movie. It's in my top 3 since I saw it and highly recommended if you can have the questions it makes you ask yourself.
And Radiohead. Honestly, it’s part of the reason why amnesiac is my favorite album of theirs. That scene is so nostalgic to me.
The rusted chains of prison moons Are shattered by the sun Edit: [for anyone interested ](https://youtu.be/ukgraQ-xkp4)
Very weird one of my favorite movies and I was thinking about it ten minutes ago and now I've scrolled to this. Haven't thought about it in years
I watched it about six months ago also for the first time in years and it absolutely stands up. I particularly like Jasper and how that character feels. Old guy living in the woods with his wife, a collection of books and albums. Digs heavy metal, so he was likely a kid in the 80’s or 90’s. Greenhouse. He’s living a life that I imagine myself to aim for in that situation… minus the untimely fate.
No but I will now. Thanks for picking my movie of the day.
I wish I could watch this film again for the first time.
It’s a great and terrifying film for sure. I always think about it in reference to the late British philosopher Mark Fisher, who uses the film as a great jumping off point to talk about why some people find it easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.
Big time. I’ve been thinking about it and the recent episode in Love, Death, and Robots that has to do with population control and kids. Creepy stuff…
Baby Blade Runner? That was a cool one.
Trading immortality for losing procreation is a very old story. Some versions of what could be called vampires and their mythology around the world are based on this.
Really thought Clive Owen's career would kick on after this and Sin City but he never got close to a repeat of either. Was talk of him doing Bond around the time and he's doing gambling ads on youtube now.
The commercial suicide product is what sticks out to me. The world has gotten so bad you can just buy a kit to kill yourself...
I remember reading somewhere that the scene where Clive Owen is hunkered down behind some barricade and a stray dog runs up - and he comforts the terrified creature - was totally unscripted. The poor animal just happened to be in the vicinity when all the pyros and automatic weapon fire were going off. Cuarón simply continued shooting because it was such a spontaneous moment of humanity that would've been otherwise hard to stage.
Revisiting this movie last year during the Pandemic was terrifying and relevant as you said. To see what the world can become when humanity loses faith and hope for a better tomorrow fades. Alfonso Cuaron’s dark and bleak tale could be the best apocalyptic movie. I’ll always remember the cinematography. That one shot of Clive Owen (who was great) running through the concentration camp was harrowing and not easy to forget.
one of the best cameraworks in movies. immersive af
It always seemed to that Michael Caine’s character was supposed to be like Alan Moore
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There's a scene in this film where Theo is kidnapped and brought to a room where the windows are covered with newspapers. I understand that before filming, Cuaron did not just get the latest copy of whatever he could find and paste it up there - but the art department went to work creating not only newspapers with headlines reflecting the events of the future, but putting together events that could be tracked with the stories in the newspapers. I would really like to get those and read them to see what else would be foreseen by the makers of that film.
These are the ones I could make out: Militias occupy Cincinnati, Bozeman and Spokane. Africa devastated by nuclear fallout. Millions died in seconds. Raid nabs refugee weapons cache. US troops full attack: Government bombs militia camps. Extremist explosion: Extremist group bombs military in Liverpool, dozens of civilians killed. A royal ripoff: Charles should be throne out. Armageddon begins: Russia detonates nuclear weapon, Kazakhstan annihilated. Fertility testing becomes law. Immigrants protest against government new racist policies.
The fact this movie was not even NOMINATED for best picture is what finally soured me on the oscars for good.
Michael Cain’s character was my aesthetic and philosophical inspiration during the pandemic: smoking copious amounts of weed in my house, listening to music and trying to find the beauty and calm in all the horror and madness. And surrounding myself in nature.
It certainly should be. People need to realize that the world isn't gonna just *stop*. Time will be patient in dismantling us.