--- title: "Children of Men" year: 2006 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/children-of-men" fi1m_id: "children-of-men" imdb_id: "tt0206634" tmdb_id: 9693 wikidata_id: "Q221090" fi1m_score: 85 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 19 published: "2026-09-18" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:50.719304+00:00" region: "NL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Children of Men (2006) Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 1h 49m · Kijkwijzer 16 · Science Fiction, Thriller, Action ## Identity Children of Men - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/children-of-men - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** children-of-men - **IMDb ID:** tt0206634 - **TMDB ID:** 9693 - **Wikidata ID:** Q221090 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206634/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9693, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q221090 **Fi1m score: 85** · Critics 70 from 19 reviews *In a sentence:* The last hope of the human race is carried through a war zone by a man who stopped caring years ago > Alfonso Cuarón’s near-future thriller is a dystopia that looks like the news, and its long unbroken takes are as frightening as anything in the genre. The people are thinner than the world around them, which keeps it just short of the top. ## Synopsis London, 2027. No child has been born anywhere on Earth for eighteen years, and the country has closed its borders and put refugees in cages on the pavements. Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a civil servant who drinks, is grabbed off the street by the Fishes, a rebel group led by his former wife Julian (Julianne Moore). She wants him to use a cousin in government (Danny Huston) to get transit papers for a young refugee, Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), and to travel with her to the coast. Theo agrees for money and goes to his friend Jasper (Michael Caine), an old cartoonist living in the woods, to decide whether he means it. On the road, with Luke (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and the midwife Miriam (Pam Ferris), he finds out why Kee matters. ## Review Alfonso Cuarón takes P. D. James’s novel about a Britain in which no child has been born for eighteen years and turns it into a chase. The year is 2027. Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a civil servant who drinks, is dragged back into the life of his former wife Julian (Julianne Moore) and asked to move a young woman across the country. Why she matters becomes clear early, and we will leave it there. The film runs 109 minutes, carries a 15, and moves as if something behind it were on fire. The world is the achievement. Geoffrey Kirkland and Jim Clay build a London that is recognisably ours with the paint gone: rubbish burning in the road, rickshaws, refugees in cages on the pavement, government adverts for a suicide kit sold over the counter. Nothing is explained by a caption. Jany Temime puts Theo in a coat that looks slept in and the rebels in the hoodies of any bus shelter. We believed all of it, which is the first job of a film like this and the one most of them fail. Emmanuel Lubezki shoots it handheld in grey and green, with lenses that catch the flare of every bulb, and he lets scenes run unbroken for minutes. The ambush on a country road, taken in what appears to be a single shot from inside the car, is the most frightening sequence we have seen in a science fiction film in years: a burning car rolls down a hill towards the windscreen, motorbikes arrive, and the camera stays in the back seat because that is where we would be. We were gripped, and then we were shaking. Later a long walk through a refugee camp under fire does the same thing at greater length, with blood on the lens that nobody wipes off. Some critics have called these takes a stunt. We disagree. Watching them, we were not thinking about how it was done; we were looking for the exit. What is thin is not the filming but the people in it. The screenplay, credited to Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, passes Theo from one guardian to the next like a parcel, and Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) is asked to be the future of the species rather than a young woman, which is a hard part and the script gives her little help. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Luke gets one good speech and not much else. Owen is the right man. He plays Theo as someone who stopped caring years ago and resents being made to start again, and he does it without a single scene of visible decision. Michael Caine’s Jasper, an old cartoonist in a cottage in the woods with a jar of cannabis and a wife who no longer speaks, is the warmth the film has, and Caine plays him without asking to be liked. Pam Ferris’s Miriam, a former midwife, and Peter Mullan’s Syd, a camp guard who talks about himself in the third person, are two small performances that stay with you. John Tavener’s choral music is used sparingly and then, near the end, is not, and the last stretch leans on it harder than it needs to. Cuarón and Alex Rodríguez cut to the pace of a man being chased, and the one scene that stops for exposition, at Jasper’s kitchen table, tells us more than we needed and less than the pictures already had. And yet there is a moment late on that undid us completely, and we will not describe it. We had not expected to cry at a film this cold, and we did. Against the genre it stands high. Most dystopias build a world to admire; this one builds a world to get out of, and the getting out is the film. See it in a cinema if you can, with the sound up, and do not read anything about the last half hour. *Fi1m score 85, published 18 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics admire Children of Men, and the praise clusters almost entirely on Alfonso Cuarón’s direction. Review after review singles out the handheld, documentary-style camerawork and the long unbroken takes, particularly in the chase and battle sequences, for making a near-future Britain feel plausible and dangerous rather than fanciful. Several also credit the film for trusting its audience, declining to over-explain the infertility premise, and for the detail of its world-building, which later reviews find has aged into prescience. The reservations gather around the writing. Several critics find the script cumbersome, the characters stock or underdeveloped, and the political message glib. Eye for Film objects only to the ending, which it thinks imposes a sentiment the film has otherwise avoided. The dissent is real: The AV Club argues the celebrated long takes are showy stunts that drain tension, and Slant finds a referential pastiche with no coherent vision. The spread runs from full marks to one star. ## Straight answers **Is Children of Men worth watching?** *Children of Men* is worth watching for anyone who can take a fast, frightening dystopia, and we scored it 85. Alfonso Cuarón's near-future London looks like the news with the paint gone, and Emmanuel Lubezki's long unbroken takes are as gripping as anything in the genre. The people are thinner than the world around them, which keeps it just short of the top. **How long is Children of Men, and what is it rated?** *Children of Men* runs 1h 49m and is rated 16 by the Kijkwijzer in the Netherlands. It is a science fiction and thriller film. **Where can I watch Children of Men in the Netherlands?** *Children of Men* is streaming on MUBI in the Netherlands, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Children of Men, and is it suitable for children?** *Children of Men* carries a UK 15 and is not suitable for children. It is a chase through a war zone, with an ambush on a country road and a long walk through a refugee camp under fire, both shot to make you feel you are in the back seat; blood lands on the lens and stays there. The squeamish and anyone under fifteen should sit this one out. **How does Children of Men compare to Threads?** *Children of Men* is the more watchable of the two; [*Threads*](https://film.one/film/threads) is the harder to shake. Cuarón's film is a thriller, handheld and fast, with warmth from Michael Caine and a late moment that undid us. Mick Jackson's *Threads* films Sheffield after the bomb like a public information broadcast and offers no exit, so choose it only if you want a punishing evening. **Is Children of Men based on a true story or a book?** *Children of Men* is based on P. D. James's novel of the same name, not on a true story. Cuarón turns her book about a Britain where no child has been born for eighteen years into a chase across the country, and the film explains nothing with a caption. You do not need to have read the novel to follow it. **What should I watch after Children of Men?** After *Children of Men*, try [*Threads*](https://film.one/film/threads) (1984, Fi1m 92): Sheffield after the bomb, filmed like a public information broadcast; far harder to watch than this. Then [*The Battle of Algiers*](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers) (1966, Fi1m 93): The street fighting Cuarón is chasing, shot forty years earlier and no less immediate; and [*Never Let Me Go*](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go) (2010, Fi1m 73): Another English dystopia in cardigans, quieter and sadder, with the horror kept politely offscreen. ### Reviews we read (19) - **Radio Times**, Jamie Russell (5/5): The critic calls it a startling take on the novel that reworks its themes through a post-9/11 lens. They single out Cuarón's visceral vérité camerawork and tense unbroken shots for bringing the War on Terror realities home to Britain. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-kqlhvv/children-of-men/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a superbly directed political thriller that pictures a darkly plausible future. She singles out its ambitious, intelligent filmmaking and the way it speaks to adults about the present through speculative fiction. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/25/movies/apocalypse-now-but-in-the-wasteland-a-child-is-given.html) - **The Times**, James Christopher (90/100, inferred): Alfonso Cuarón’s apocalyptic thriller is an entertaining and utterly barking vision of the future, a magnificently deranged satire. Cuarón’s crazy dystopia knocks rivals into a cocked hat with realistic close-quarter panic and violence. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/uk-travel/england/london-travel/children-of-men-z5gppzsbtfq) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (90/100, inferred): The critic hails Cuarón's thrilling, credible near-future vision of a violent, paranoid Britain as a clever chase yarn with sharp social commentary. They single out the director's bold documentary-style handheld shooting and refusal to over-explain for making the film involving and provocative. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/children-of-men) - **Little White Lies**, Luke Walpole (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's prescient dystopian vision of a collapsing society marked by infertility, nationalism and refugee crises. They single out Cuarón's hyper-realistic handheld camerawork and long takes for making the story feel authentic and urgent. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/children-of-men-alfonso-cuaron-dystopia) - **Empire**, Damon Wise (70/100, inferred): Cuarón delivers a milestone action-satire that bends genre conventions with bravura long takes and immersive world-building in a dystopian Britain. The film is visually stunning and inventive, though its moral message feels somewhat glib. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/children-men-review/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (70/100, inferred): This explosively violent future-nightmare thriller looks extraordinary and opens a window on a world of Arctic fear and despair. The hard, flat, cold images are stunning and the full-on urban warfare scenes are electrifying, though the script is occasionally cumbersome. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/sep/22/juliannemoore.thriller) - **The Hollywood Reporter** (70/100, inferred): Praises the film's plausible dystopian vision grounded in real-world references and its status as one of the best overlooked films of the prior year. Highlights the technical achievements and long takes in the context of the DVD release. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/children-men-casino-royale-158888/) - **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a tough, destabilizing sci-fi thriller with a relentless pace and recognizable texture that makes its dystopia feel plausible. He singles out its scumbled, reportage-like photography and the way it respects the audience by not over-explaining the premise. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/01/08/under-the-volcano-2) - **Screen Daily** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds an ordinary story with stock characters but praises the film's imaginative verve and gripping chase and battle sequences. They single out the handheld, long-take style and use of real UK locations for lending a sense of real, cine-verité danger. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/children-of-men/4028485.article) - **Evening Standard** (50/100, inferred): Cuarón's visually convincing and kinetically skilled adaptation of the P.D. James novel stands out for its desolate future England and strong production design. It functions more as a thoughtful action movie than one with deep resonance, with some characters and writing feeling underdeveloped. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/fearful-future-has-real-resonance-7388801.html) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (40/100, inferred): Criticizes the film's celebrated long-take sequences as distracting technical stunts that undermine emotional engagement and tension, preferring conventional editing for storytelling. Acknowledges the impressive execution and performances but sees the technique as showy rather than effective. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/children-of-men-1798218422) - **Total Film** (30/100, inferred): A finely made, convincing dystopian thriller with strong performances from Owen and impressive technical sequences, but it falls short as a whole due to pacing issues, uneven emotional connections, and a sense that it is less than the sum of its parts. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/children-of-men-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (1/4): Notes the film's strong direction and visually dynamic final battle sequence with magical-realist touches but faults the lack of coherent vision, emotional depth, and overly referential pastiche quality over substantive storytelling. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/alfonso-cuarns-children-of-men/) - **NME**, Owen Nicholls (90/100, inferred): The critic names it the best film of 2006, describing it as relevant, thought-provoking, hard-hitting, thrilling and emotional, the kind that restores faith in cinema. They single out the monumental catharsis of hope emerging from its extreme bleakness for particular praise. [Read](https://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/a-decade-in-films-why-children-of-men-was-the-best-film-of-2006-43411) - **Den of Geek**, Mark Harrison (85/100, inferred): The critic hails the film as a modern classic and superb dystopian thriller that holds up exceptionally well a decade on. They single out its detailed, research-driven world-building and recognizable contemporary references for particular praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-recognizable-future-of-children-of-men/) - **Digital Spy**, Emma Dibdin (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the vivid, pitiless dystopian world Cuarón creates as the film's real protagonist and calls it one of the most wrenching and plausible future-set films ever made. They single out the politically nuanced message and long-take action sequences for praise while noting some weaknesses in character intimacy. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/re-viewed/a529650/children-of-men-re-viewed-alfonso-cuarns-dystopian-sci-fi/) - **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Cuarón's film for its naturalistic style, fluid camerawork, believable characters and dialogue, and its claim to classic status among dystopian sci-fi by grounding the story in recognizable present-day realities. The sole complaint is the ending, which imposes an artificial moral and schmaltz that undercuts the film's earlier balance between despair and hope. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/children-of-men-film-review-by-anton-bitel) - **Paste**, Ana Carpenter (80/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a complex dystopian parable balancing profound despair with nuanced hope, commending its convincing layered world-building and the personal stakes of Theo's redemption arc amid societal collapse. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/children-of-men/children-of-men-dystopia-pregnancy-better-world-alfonso-cuaron-clive-owen) ## Details - **Director:** Alfonso Cuarón - **Director:** Alfonso Cuarón - **Screenplay:** David Arata, Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, Hawk Ostby, Mark Fergus - **Novel:** P. D. James - **Cinematography:** Emmanuel Lubezki - **Editor:** Alfonso Cuarón, Alex Rodríguez - **Music:** John Tavener - **Production design:** Geoffrey Kirkland, Jim Clay - **Costume design:** Jany Temime - **Producer:** Marc Abraham, Iain Smith, Tony Smith - **Cast:** Clive Owen as Theo Faron; Clare-Hope Ashitey as Kee; Chiwetel Ejiofor as Luke; Julianne Moore as Julian; Michael Caine as Jasper; Pam Ferris as Miriam; Charlie Hunnam as Patric; Danny Huston as Nigel - **Runtime:** 1h 49m - **Certificate (Kijkwijzer):** 16 - **Release (the Netherlands):** 26 October 2006 - **Genres:** Science Fiction, Thriller, Action - **Budget:** $76 million - **Box office:** $71 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhp4o8nIUFI ## Where to watch in the Netherlands - MUBI: streaming, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €7.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-18.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, EC, ES, FR, GB, HR, HU, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2007: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated) - Saturn Awards 2007: Best Science Fiction Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Threads* (1984), Fi1m 92: Sheffield after the bomb, filmed like a public information broadcast; far harder to watch than this — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/threads.md) - *The Battle of Algiers* (1966), Fi1m 93: The street fighting Cuarón is chasing, shot forty years earlier and no less immediate — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers.md) - *Never Let Me Go* (2010), Fi1m 73: Another English dystopia in cardigans, quieter and sadder, with the horror kept politely offscreen — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go.md) - *Y Tu Mamá También* (2001), Fi1m 87: Cuarón’s earlier road film, where the country passing the window matters as much as the passengers — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/y-tu-mama-tambien.md) - *Snowpiercer* (2013), Fi1m 80: A refugee’s march through a collapsing society, done as a train and a great deal louder — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/snowpiercer.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/children-of-men