This film is currently unavailable
Children of Men
In an apocalyptic future Britain, a civil servant is unexpectedly entrusted with the fate of humanity in Alfonso Cuarón’s gripping and thoughtful sci-fi.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Overview
In 2027 the human race is on the brink of extinction due to infertility and societal collapse, and civil servant Theo (Clive Owen) is just trying to survive when he becomes entrusted with a momentous duty – providing safe passage for the first woman to fall pregnant in 18 years.
Based on P. D. James’ 1992 novel, Alfonso Cuarón’s chilling dystopian vision is both thematically complex – encompassing ideas about environmental destruction, immigration and spirituality – and also a visceral, immediate and hard-hitting thriller. Punctuated by a series of virtuoso single-shot set-pieces (a tactic Cuarón would develop for his next film, Gravity) and enhanced by a top-tier supporting cast including Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Julianne Moore, Children of Men is one of the key sci-fi films of its decade and a worthy upholder of Britain’s fine dystopian traditions.
Related
Arrival Arrival
Science Fiction 2016 116 mins Director: Denis Villeneuve
Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner star as the humans who make first contact with extra-terrestrial visitors in this richly textured sci-fi from director Denis Villeneuve.
The Rover The Rover
Crime 2014 103 mins Director: David Michôd
Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson star in a post-apocalyptic thriller set in the Australian outback, from the director of Animal Kingdom.
Midnight Special Midnight Special
Science Fiction 2015 112 mins Director: Jeff Nichols
Jeff Nichols, the acclaimed chronicler of American delirium, presents an imaginative sci-fi about an otherworldly child pursued by the FBI and a shadowy cult.
The Beast The Beast
Fantasy 2022 145 mins Director: Bertrand Bonello
Léa Seydoux wanders through a maze of past, present and uncertain future in Bertrand Bonello’s audacious blend of period drama and conceptual crystal-gazing.
Robot Dreams Robot Dreams
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 103 mins Director: Pablo Berger
Spanish director Pablo Berger delivers a rich and emotionally engaging dialogue-free animation about friendship, set in a bustling 1980s New York City.
Demon Seed Demon Seed
Science Fiction 1977 94 mins Director: Donald Cammell
Visionary Scottish filmmaker Donald Cammell directs this claustrophobic ‘home-invasion’ sci-fi thriller based upon Dean Koontz’s best-selling novel.
Dune Dune
Science Fiction 1984 131 mins Director: David Lynch
David Lynch brings Frank Herbert’s powerful novel and rich fantasy world to life in this cinematic spectacle.
Blindness Blindness
Thriller 2008 121 mins Director: Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Meirelles (City of God) presents a haunting dystopian allegory about a sudden epidemic of blindness affecting humanity.
Franklyn Franklyn
Fantasy 2009 98 mins Director: Gerald McMorrow
Eva Green, Ryan Phillippe and Sam Riley star in an intricate, ambitious sci-fi drama that follows four parallel realities, each based around characters searching for salvation.
Silent Running Silent Running
Science Fiction 1972 89 mins Director: Douglas Trumbull
Douglas Trumbull’s ecological sci-fi, eulogised by Mark Kermode as the best science fiction film ever made.
Welcome II the Terrordome Welcome II the Terrordome
Drama 1995 94 mins Director: Ngozi Onwurah
A ferocious dystopian nightmare, this was the first film directed by a Black British woman to receive a UK theatrical release.
The Matrix The Matrix
Science Fiction 1999 136 mins
Hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) is drawn into a burgeoning underground rebellion against the machines that enslave humanity, in the hugely influential action sci-fi.
Vroom Vroom
Drama 1988 88 mins Director: Beeban Kidron
Beeban Kidron’s first feature film follows Clive Owen, David Thewlis and Diana Quick as they take to the road in a bubblegum-pink Chevrolet.
Maps to the Stars Maps to the Stars
Drama 2014 112 mins Director: David Cronenberg
Julianne Moore and John Cusack star in David Cronenberg’s caustic take on modern Hollywood, depicted as a nightmare world of ego and obsession.
Magnolia Magnolia
Drama 1999 189 mins Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling, intense and multi-layered study of a collection of characters going through varying levels of crisis.
Wonderstruck Wonderstruck
Drama 2017 116 mins Director: Todd Haynes
Julianne Moore stars in Todd Haynes' playful adaptation of Brian Selznick’s acclaimed young adult novel, which follows two children from different eras as they set out to find people from their pasts.
Still Alice Still Alice
Drama 2014 102 mins Director: Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland
Julianne Moore won an Oscar for her extraordinary performance as a linguistics professor diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
No Other Land No Other Land
Documentary 2024 92 mins Director: Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
This powerful documentary from a Palestinian-Israeli collective might be one of the most important films of this year.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.