Children of Men

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Movie
German title Children of Men
Original title Children of Men
Country of production United States ,
United Kingdom
original language English , Spanish
Publishing year 2006
length 106 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
JMK 14
Rod
Director Alfonso Cuarón
script Alfonso Cuarón,
Timothy J. Sexton ,
David Arata ,
Hawk Ostby
production Marc Abraham ,
Eric Newman ,
Hilary Shor ,
Iain Smith ,
Tony Smith
music John Tavener
camera Emmanuel Lubezki
cut Alex Rodríguez
occupation

Children of Men is a British - American dystopian science fiction - Thriller by Alfonso Cuarón . Itpremiered onSeptember 3, 2006 at the Venice Film Festival , and was shown in German cinemas on November 9, 2006. The film is produced by Universal Pictures , Strike Entertainment, and Hit & Run Productions , distributed by Universal. The novel of the same name by P. D. James from 1992served as a template.

action

In the year 2027: For more than 18 years, not a single person has been born for unclear reasons, and the decline of the human species is unlikely to be stopped. The world is marked by violence and chaos; Environmental destruction , terrorism , hysteria and state oppression determine the everyday picture. The action takes place in Great Britain, which has cut itself off from the rest of the world and is trying to stay in control as a police state . Foreign refugees are rigorously persecuted, locked up and deported to ghetto-like reception centers. This practice is used by terrorist underground organizations such as the Fishes ( English for fish fights).

In this situation, Kee, a young illegal immigrant, becomes the first woman to become pregnant in 18 years. Through his ex-wife Julian, who is now the leader of the Fishes , the disaffected government employee Theo Faron, who has fallen into depression, receives the task of bringing the young woman and the unborn baby to a safe place. The goal is the mysterious "Human Project", a secret association of scientists who research the survival of humans and should be accessible on a ship disguised as a cutter off the coast.

The trip turns into an escape for Theo and Kee when members of the Fishes kill Julian to use the baby for their political ends. Via various stations they get to the “reception center” in Bexhill , where Kee gives birth to a girl.

Triggered by the break-in of a group of Fishes activists in the hermetically sealed city, a bitter house-to-house battle develops between the British Army and the insurgents. Due to a short-term truce - triggered solely by the presence of the baby - the two manage to escape the theater of war and to reach the meeting point with the ship on a small rowboat. However, due to a previously unnoticed gunshot wound, Theo does not live to see the ship arrive.

background

  • The production of the film with a budget of about 76 million US dollars began on 2 November 2005 and was completed on August 27 of 2006. The shooting took place between November 18, 2005 and January 17, 2006 at various locations in England. Further final filming took place on May 1st and 2nd, 2006 in Uruguay and Argentina .
  • The film title Children of Men ( English for human children ) is in the original book a quote from Psalm 90 in the Bible , cf. Ps 90.3 ESV (English) or SLT (German).
  • The film caused a sensation with its above-average takes , so-called plan sequences (sometimes over six minutes without an edit), which are supposed to make the film look documentary. There are various accounts of how these scenes came about. The Double Negative employee Alain Bielik reports that these scenes were combined from different shots in an elaborate computer process, which Cuarón indirectly confirmed in an interview with Variety magazine : “Maybe I'll tell a big secret, but sometimes there's more to it than that it seems. The important thing is how you cut everything together (fade) and maintain the perception of a flowing choreography in all the different parts. "

Reviews

The film was received largely positively by international critics. Above all, the special effects and the camera work were praised. Nevertheless, there were also critics among the renowned reviewers who criticized individual points.

"Cuarón's apocalyptic science fiction film about the last pregnant woman in the world is interesting in detail and visually over long stretches, but suffers from a speculative, not very meaningful story."

- epd film

"[...] The impressive pessimistic future painting creates a dark version of the Christmas story with multi-layered characters and combines it with the characteristics of a gripping, straightforward narrated genre thriller."

- Lexicon of international film

“A dark masterpiece with an excellent cast. Oppressive scenes that will be remembered for a long time. "

- TV media

“Conclusion: A film like a nightmare. The utopia of a world in which no more children are born shows an evil reflection of today's society "

- Cinema

Honors

Oscar 2007

British Academy Film Awards 2007

Venice International Film Festival 2006

  • Golden Osella - Best technical contribution: Emmanuel Lubezki
  • Laterna Magica Prize: Alfonso Cuarón
  • Nominated for:
    • Golden Lion: Alfonso Cuarón

Further

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Children of Men . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , December 2006 (PDF; test number: 107 726 K).
  2. ↑ Age rating for Children of Men . Youth Media Commission .
  3. ↑ Boxofficemojo , Review of Children of Men (English).
  4. ^ Children of Men: Invisible VFX for a Future in Decay . (English, free registration required).
  5. ↑ Peter Debruge, Editors cut us in on tricky sequences ( Memento from December 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), Variety, February 16, 2007 (English).
  6. ^ Children of Men. In: Lexicon of international films . Film service , accessed September 13, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used