"As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in. Very odd, what happens in a world without children's voices."

I have recently come to realize the importance of hope. It is many times linked to religion, dreams or plain optimism, but it is much more than that. Dreams are goals, illusions to which we aspire to, but hope is what keeps us standing day by day. Hope is the support we need, the force that drives us, the fuel of life. We need hope, we can't live without it; we need to know that someday, somehow, things are going to be better in our lives, and why not, have a better world. We need to hope that one day there will be no worries, no misery, that we will find that place to call home and the people to share it with, that those we love today will remain with us forever, that life is just about to get better.

It is not a mere abstract feeling, on the contrary, we transform hope in work and strength to do those things that build our lives, that take us to happiness and fulfillment. And, most accordingly, when we loose hope, we loose everything. Yet, what if hope decides to abandon us all?

That is the reality of a not so distant future portrayed in Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men (2006), were there are no children, when infertility has taken over. Without children there is no hope for a better future, there is no recipient for legacy, there is no purpose for mankind. It's the end.

Children of Men is the most powerful film I have seen this year (and quite a year it has been with The Fountain, The Departed, Babel, and many others), the strongest in his story and most of all in his message. Cuarón is a true auteur, not just a filmmaker. He has developed a style, and he is an artist compromised with his medium because, by approaching his films as art, he fills them with detail, with significance, passion and force. Children of Men is the work of a filmmaker that has grown up and mastered his craft.

The film is set on the future and yet, it is so real it hurts. A future without hope, without dreams, a future in decadence and chaos is the setting for a lesson of human nature, of its flaws and its virtues. The performances are amazing, the cinematography is the best and the movie is unforgettable. There are several masterful moments that will leave you in awe.

Humans are creatures in despair when hope is gone. I hope you can see it.

PD: Out of the 3 great mexican directors right now, I vote for Cuarón as the one who will prevail through time in film history. He will become an icon, one of the masters.