The Frame

Very definitely one of the top films of last year. If you didn’t see it, I recommend you do at your earliest opportunity. Alfonso Cuarón takes a lot of liberties with P.D. James’ apocalyptic novel, but comes out with an extremely well-done film. In the very near future (2027 to be exact), the youngest person on earth has just died. He was 18. For an unknown reason, all the women on earth went barren, and by the time our story takes place, England is a police state, deporting “fugees” (refugees) as quickly as they can. But there is hope, for a young girl is somehow pregnant–if only Theo (Clive Owen) can get her to safety. I want to give this film the highest praise. A lot of critics did last year, and several of my friends rank it their #1 of the year. But being completely honest, I have to admit that though it’s essentially a flawless film, it didn’t capture me as much as I wanted it to. It’s a film I admire more than I love. But when you watch it, make sure you pay attention to how meticulously everything is designed, and how incredibly subtly the backstory is made clear with almost NO explication.
Superior