Children of Men

In a dystopian near-future where the last child was born over eighteen years ago, society crumbles. Global refugees flock to London, one of the few functioning cities. Hoping for sanctuary, they find interment camps. Militant groups demanding better refugee treatment execute bombings and clash with government forces. Clive Owen plays a bureaucrat swept into the conflict via his estranged ex wife.

Fifteen years ago, this floored me. The long unbroken takes elicited new levels of tension. This revisit lacked comparable impact, but it provided a new appreciation for the script’s willingness to paint both the government and militants in shades of gray. The performances convince throughout, and Owen seems tailor-made for his part as an everyman audience surrogate.