2) Children Of Men (2006)
The human race is on the brink of extinction in this adaptation of P.D. James’ novel of the same name, directed and co-written by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuaron. Also receiving writing credits are Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby – and between them they have crafted an excellent alternative festive film.
The threat of extinction is caused by 18 years of global infertility – female infertility, according to the film. The effect of this has been to cause governments to collapse and conflict and war to engulf the world. The U.K is the last remaining stable nation and its still-functioning government meets a worsening refugee crisis with military-style policing.
Theo (played by Clive Owen) is a bureaucrat who has long-since become estranged from his wife, Julian (played by Julianne Moore), following the death of their son. Julian has now begun to lead a militant group named the Fishes, which seeks to protect the rights of immigrants, and she has her colleagues help her kidnap Theo in order to bribe him into helping them.
Julian is hiding a young refugee named Kee (played by Clare-Hope Ashitey), who is the first pregnant woman Earth has seen for almost two decades. She plans to smuggle Kee to the south coast of the U.K to meet a ship called Tomorrow, which is operated by the Human Project – an overseas endeavour to cure infertility. Julian bribes Theo into obtaining the necessary paperwork for Kee to move around the country, and into escorting her along with a midwife and a Fishes member named Luke (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor). What follows is essentially an action-based chase movie, as Julian faces deadly betrayal and everyone seeks to possess Kee and her baby for their own nefarious purposes.
There is a lot of Christmas in Children Of Men, from elements of the Nativity story – with Theo and Kee as Mary and Joseph – to religious symbolism, such as references to a virgin birth and people greeting the newborn baby by making the sign of the cross. There are also the themes of hope and faith, with Theo making his physical journey to the south coast to meet the ship Tomorrow and his spiritual journey from darkness to hope – all based on his faith in Kee, and what she and her child represent.
