Baby come back

Based on a PD James story, the film imagines a world where mankind has mysteriously become impotent, with no babies born in nearly 20 years. Faced with the prospect of its own extinction, human society breaks down everywhere apart from Britain, where a totalitarian government maintains a semblance of order with an iron fist.
This cruel, unforgiving Britain is nevertheless more attractive than the rest of the world, so immigrants flock to the island, where they are promptly rounded up in cages and shipped out to inhumane refugee camps.
Theodore Faron (Clive Owen) is former activist against the harsh government whose righteous indignation has faded into weary resignation and the life of a bureaucrat: until one day he is roped into helping his ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) transport a very precious cargo: a pregnant woman.
The beauty of Cuarón's movie is that it does not feel like science fiction: the Britain of 2027 is only a stone's throw from modern society, with its paranoia intensified into adopting the fascist measures of times past. But the social commmentary eventually fades into the background of an intense chase thriller, as Theo and mum-to-be Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) flee the authorities and political activists alike.
The photography is exceptional, with our nation's often gloomy landscape seemingly bleached of colour, while little touches - such as the plethora of pets in a childless nation - add to the gritty realism. Throw in Michael Caine's wry supporting role as an aging hippy, and you have one of the best films of 2006.  Kristoffer Mullin