CMFH Film Reviews

2006, UK/USA
Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Review by Deborah Dearth

The not-so-distant future is a pretty rotten place. In 2027’s Britain, illegal immigrants are rounded up and caged, and the world’s population is quickly dwindling due to unexpected infertility.

In fact, much of Alfonso Cuarón’s (Y tu mamá también, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) film fails to provide explanation. There are so many problems in the world that any one of them could contribute to the dearth of new children: pollution, contamination, scientific experimentation, what have you. And herein lies a sloppiness to Cuarón’s execution; with so many problems, it’s hard to focus on a message.

The film borrows from many futuristic tales. Flashing warning signs flood the landscape with the government’s reminders about immigration laws, harking to 1984’s Big Brother tactics. Euthanasia kits are readily available, similar to Soylent Green’s solution to rid the population of excess numbers. Nothing feels fresh or thought provoking.

Occurring only twenty years from now, Cuarón tries to incorporate recent trends and discussions. Every adult has a piercing or dreadlocks, and the idea of these folks of the future being today’s twenty-somethings feels forced. The cities are in ruins, with priceless art looted by the gated-off privileged. In the commoner’s fields, animals are burnt in piles without explanation.

Current political arguments have achieved their worst ends. The military takes unnecessary force to hunt illegal immigrants and place them in walled slums, and the occupants are casually referred to as “fugees.” The term “homeland security” is thrown into conversation with sarcasm and a forceful wink. And with present concerns of the avian flu, it is foretold that there will be an epidemic in 2008 that will wipe out much of the world’s youth.

The flu killed our hero’s child, creating a divider between himself and his ex-wife, now a political activist. Portrayed by the usually discriminating Clive Owen (Inside Man, Closer) and Julianne Moore (The Hours, The Big Lebowski), we can only presume that the actors were provided with a better first draft than what was ultimately produced. Moore's character seeks out her ex for a small favor: help transport a miraculously pregnant woman.

Her name is Kee, and she needs to get to the ship called Tomorrow. Kee...to...Tomorrow. Yes, it’s subtle like that. Kee even informs Owen’s character of her predicament in a barn, by a manger, to which he replies “Jesus Christ” with no sense of irony. The revolutionaries helping them are called the Fishes, Kee’s midwife is named Miriam, and our hero’s name can be broken down from Theo Faron to “The(e) of A(a)ron;” Biblical references abound. Perhaps I’m finding allegories that aren’t really there, but it’s more entertaining than the multitude of obvious statements that are there.

This could have been an interesting film. If present events could have been extrapolated upon less bluntly and the audience treated a bit more intelligently, there might have been a thoughtful discussion. Instead, we are left with snippets of the world news as seen through a smudgy, recycled lens.