CHILDREN OF MEN

Part of Science On Screen 2021.

No children. No future. No hope. In the year 2027, 18 years since the last baby was born, disillusioned Theo (Clive Owen) becomes an unlikely champion of the human race when he is asked by his estranged wife Julian (Julianne Moore) to escort a young pregnant woman out of the country as quickly as possible. In a race against time, Theo will risk everything to deliver the miracle the whole world has been waiting for.

Alfonso Cuarón’s bleak but visually sublime adaptation of P. D. James’ novel stands as one of the most effective science fiction films of the 21st century so far.

Part of the Belcourt’s annual Science on Screen® series, a national initiative made possible through a grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — and tied directly to the Belcourt’s ongoing education and engagement programs. 

Topic:
“Mental Health in Times of Global Crisis: Insights from the COVID-19 Pandemic”

About the Speaker:
Autumn Kujawa, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Human Development at Vanderbilt University, director of the Mood, Emotion, and Development lab, and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research integrates multiple methods, including psychophysiology, neuroimaging, and behavioral measures, to examine vulnerabilities for mood and anxiety disorders and develop more targeted interventions. Dr. Kujawa earned her Ph.D. from Stony Brook University and completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral research fellowship in the neuroscience of mental health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Kujawa was recognized as a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science and has been awarded research funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation, and Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. For more on her work, click here.

“A heartbreaking, bullet-strewn valentine to what keeps us human.” ––Keith Phipps, A.V.Club

“It's definitely worth setting aside your urge for lightweight escapism and diving into this heavy, provocative tale, set so closely to our times and so recognizably an extension of our world that it offers an intriguing chance for reflection.”–– David Germaine, Napa Valley Register

“The idea that we’re out of time is what makes CHILDREN OF MEN both a mirror and augur of the world, and the world to come. At the end of history, cut off from its past and pessimistic about the future, and facing slow death under rising tides, humanity has resigned itself to a somnambulant life.” ––Gavin Jacobson, New Statesman