Synopsis



//Children of Men// is a dystopian science fiction film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The film was loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel of the same name and the screenplay went through several versions before director Alfonso Cuarón rewrote it again into its final form. It may be best to think of the film as inspired by James’s novel rather than being an adaptation, since many characters and plot elements are significantly changed. Theo and Julian have a very different relationship in the book, and the character of Kee is new to the film – she takes over Julian’s role, in fact. Luke is changed from a clergyman to a terrorist, and Jasper becomes a much more benign character. The Human Project doesn’t exist in the book – and nor does the virtual civil war. In the film, the implication is that the fertility problem affects women, but in the book it affects men. A significant change is that, PD James’ Christian worldview is almost entirely lost in Cuarón’s film. The Fishes of James’s imagination are a Christian group, whereas the only group member in the film who clearly expresses any spirituality is Miriam who spouts a mixture of Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and New Age ideas. P.D. James describes her novel as a Christian fable, taking the title from Psalm 90 in the version found in Thomas Cranmer’s //Book of Common Prayer// (1662), but Cuarón’s film functions more as myth and makes no reference back to this source. Cuaron explains, ‘The P.D. James book is almost like a look at Christianity, and that wasn’t my interest. I didn’t want to shy away from the spiritual archetypes but I wasn’t interested in dealing with Dogma.’ The film stars Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine. It is set in the United Kingdom of 2027 and the film explores a grim world in which two decades of global human infertility have left humanity with less than a century to survive. Societal collapse, terrorism, and environmental destruction accompany the impending extinction. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom—perhaps the last functioning government—persecutes a seemingly endless wave of illegal immigrant refugees seeking sanctuary. In the midst of this chaos, Theo Faron (Clive Owen) must find safe transit for Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), a pregnant African "fugee" refugee.