Children of Men

     "Children of Men" is Alfonso Cuarón's 7th film, and after looking through all of his past films, this one is easily his magnum opus. This film tells the story of Theo Faron, a citizen of a post-apocalyptic society in which all women have become infertile and in which the last human was born 18 years ago. After reuniting with his wife of the past, who also happens to be a leading figure of an underground guerrilla group called The Fishes, Theo is assigned the task of smuggling Kee, a young woman pregnant with humanity's first child in a while, out of the UK.
     The most notable accomplishment of "Children of Men" are the wonderfully executed long shots. The long shot of the attack on the car may be one of the most memorable shots in film history. The shot begins with Theo and Julian playfully reigniting their old relationship, and then it jarringly switches to a full on attack from all angles. The complicated tracking shot circles all around the inside of the car, and as evident from behind-the-scenes footage, involved a complicated car rig to accomplish the effect. The shot does a great job of keeping the viewer engaged in what is happening, making them feel as if they are a passenger in the car themselves. The direct and suddenness of Julian's death is surprising and adds to the realness of this scene. The other incredibly impressive long shot in this film is towards the end of the film, when Theo is making his way through the chaos to get back to Kee. The coordination that this scene must have taken for all of the extras and special effects attributes to the greatness of Cuarón's directing ability. Just as it did in the car scene, this shot makes us feel like we're right there in the action, running alongside Theo. It provides a vulnerability that keeps us on the edge of our seat, expecting the worst to happen at any second. Another accomplishment of "Children of Men" is the production design. The flawless design of the apocalyptic streets of Britain look as if the film was shot directly on location without any set up, and the detention center is without a doubt a living, breathing place.
     "Children of Men" is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Throughout the film, the viewer is exposed to wonderful little details, like the London 2012 Olympics shirt that Theo wears (this film was released in 2006), that make it very apparent that Cuarón put a lot of work into making this film great. With wonderful production design and innovative cinematography, "Children of Men" will forever stand the test of time, and will one day be considered the masterpiece that it is.