Children of Men

If you like or can tolerate great war and spy films, but worry they encourage the nationalsim and paranoia that encourages support for some of the more disturbing aspects of the present War on Terror, see Children of Men, currently in theaters. Set in 2027, it’s a pity this film was not made before the Iraq war began, given how much of the film feels like the mess we're in now. The dystopian P.D. James book on which the film was based was published in 1992. As usual, Michael Caine is charming and Julianne Moore is radiant. The sound track is great.

What follows is plot spoiler, so if you have not seen the film, but plan to, read the rest of this later. The premise of the film is that humans can no longer reproduce, and though never explained, it is presumably due to some environmental catastrophe. A scene in which hundreds of people, including soldiers in mid-battle, show sheer joy and utter admiration for a baby girl is not to be missed. It serves in stark contrast to the fate that awaits some female fetuses in cultures inhabited by a majority of the world's people in the present day.