20 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Children Of Men

20. The Real World Inspiration Behind The Film's Aesthetic

It is only fitting that Cuaron wanted to shoot Children of Men like a documentary, forgoing traditional/stylized means to capture the events onscreen in favour of uneasy, handheld camera work and as much natural lighting as possible.

One of his greatest sources of inspiration came in the form of the 1966 seminal war film, The Battle of Algiers. The main reason for this was the film’s grounded approach left an indelible mark on the director and subsequently influenced the film's visual style, specifically its set pieces.

The film's famed long takes (especially its climactic oner in the Bexhill refugee camp) have a naturalistic feeling that is reminiscent of the 1966 film's more frenzied shooting style despite these takes being inherently cinematic in nature (and feeling more staged as a result).

To some degree, both films share similar socio-political undertones so it is only fitting that Cuaron would look to such a seemingly unlikely source of inspiration to film a dystopian story.