Last week, I saw Children of Men.Two nights ago, I saw it again. Rarely do I pay to see a film twice in the theater, but Children of Men almost demanded that I do so. Not only am I a big fan of intelligent sci-fi films (and books, especially of the dystopian variety), Children of Men represents a startling standout act in terms of actual production.
Other than the tight plot, deliciously thoughtful political overtones, pitch-perfect acting, incredible art direction and locations, and superb pacing, this film features some of the most startling long takes I've ever experienced. In fact, it is the film's use of long takes that is the most inspiring and impressionable feature of the film.
In a time where superfluous CG effects and chop-chop editing plague so many Hollywood pictures, Children of Men stands in defiance of the hyper-real.
In an early long take spanning at least a couple of minutes, a group of five drives down a road and sees a burning car quickly rolling down a hillside, blocking their path. A massive horde of thugs hoping to do the passengers in come out of the woods and run towards their car which is now forced to speed in reverse. Chaos ensues during the chase, and the camera never cuts away from the perspective inside of the vehicle during all of this.
It's an incredibly planned shot, and only a precursor to a much bigger and more technically impressive long take later in the film.
The complete lack of editing during some of Children of Men's most emotionally heated and technically impressive scenes is a real filmmaking marvel. Ultimately, it gives the film a much bigger punch because we are able to experience these scenes uninterrupted, with no disruption to the sense of time.
Yes, these long takes give the film an almost "realistic" quality. And that is what separates Children of Men from the rest. There is not only good entertainment to be had with Children of Men, but a valuable learning experience.
So yes, long story short: see this movie.
The Sundance Institute and Sundance Channel announced that they will offer a selection of narrative, documentary and animation short films from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for download in the iTunes Store starting January 22nd at a price of $1.99.
Besides the actual invention of movies itself, the next best innovation was adding sound to the picture. How they did this is probably a little hard to comprehend in this day and age let alone in 1929.
Ahh to be young again!
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