#7: Children of Men

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Starring Clive Owen
In the chaotic not-so-distant future, where humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

This film was very gritty, very rough and somewhat raw - and it was effective. I remembered when indie film directors (Tarantino and Smith, I'm looking at you) used hand-held cameras a lot in 1994, but eventually it got tiresome (circa 1998). But when you get a taste of it now from time to time in doses, you remember why it worked in the first place. Example (though not about this movie but about a movie by Alfonso Cuaron) in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, that one scene in the beginning that was shot with a hand-held was refreshing, particularly because the other films were by Chris Colombus and conventionally shot. With Children of Men, it felt like the whole movie was shot hand-held. This added to the atmosphere, creating discomfort and some nausea - though it may not sound like it, but that is a good thing in establishing its mood.

And if I may brush on Clive Owen's character, Theo - he was much more human than I was expecting, providing mild laughs in an otherwise depressing yet uplifting film.