In our modern world, stricken with warfare, poverty, pollution and overpopulation, it is not difficult to envision the precarious degree to which these problems might perpetuate in the next two decades. The new film, “Children of Men,” does just this.

Set 20 years in the future, it depicts a dystopian world where humanity’s demise seems imminent as mass infertility, global warfare and chaos seem to mark the beginning of the end for the human race. Inspired by British author P.D. James’ 1992 novel of the same title, it is a gripping story of hope in a time when humanity’s end seems near.

Bringing the loose adaptation of the novel’s story to cinematic life is Alfonso Cuarón, the accomplished Mexican director whose assorted films include most notably 2001’s “Y Tu Mamá También” and 2004’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” Yet his brilliant direction in “Children of Men” makes this film his true tour de force.

The movie begins in London in the year 2027. “The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet. The youngest person on Earth was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours and eight minutes old,” states a solemn television reporter in the opening scene of the film, before adding that the day marks the 1,000th day of the “Siege on Seattle” and giving other various updates on developments of global warfare.

With this introduction to the world in 2027, the movie goes on to establish Britain as a country under permanent martial law — as acts of terror, police in riot gear and surveillance cameras are commonplace in the violent place the world has evolved into.

Due to nuclear wars and devastating pollution, various parts of the world have become uninhabitable, causing emigration of many refugees to one of the few enduring countries — Great Britain. But the British government has consequently issued a fait accompli, declaring all immigrants illegal and subject to deportation if discovered. The violation of these immigrants’ human rights, as they are caged and bussed to refugee camps, has led to the formation of a terrorist organization called “The Fishes.”

Clive Owen stars in the film as Theodore Faron, a languid employee of the Ministry of Energy whose mornings require whiskey in his coffee. Faron’s initial political apathy is derivative of the diminishing state of humanity’s situation, the death of his son, and the resulting divorce from his wife, Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore), the leader of “The Fishes.” However, when trying to help his ex-wife get a travel permit for a West African refugee named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), Theo discovers the reason this terrorist group considers the safety of this refugee so imperative — she is the first woman to become pregnant after 18 years of human infertility.

As Kee’s life becomes endangered, Theo is swept from his mundane life as he becomes her guardian with the conviction that her “miracle” pregnancy may be humanity’s only prospect of continued existence. They are chased by police and terrorist forces alike across the countryside of England, eventually reaching a refugee camp where they hope to find both Kee’s and humanity’s only chance of salvation, “the Human Project,” a rumored group of scientists dedicated to curing infertility.

Clive Owen’s acting in the film is admirably engaging, as he plays a conflicted man trying to muster hope in a time when nearly all hope in humanity’s survival is lost. While he employs the sharp British wit and humble sarcasm exhibited in many of his previous roles, his portrayal of Theo’s transformation from a man indifferent to the end of the world to a man who will preserve humanity’s only chance of survival at any cost is truly understated and superb.

Michael Caine also gives a first-class performance in the film, playing Theo’s quirky yet wise friend, Jasper, a retired political cartoonist who spends most of time nostalgically listening to Beatles covers and tending to his marijuana greenhouse. His lightheartedness and resilience are a breath of fresh air in the film, as the rest of the world’s animosity seems only to accelerate humanity’s impending downfall.

In addition to the eminent acting, the cinematography in the film is fantastic as it reflects the decaying and frantic world that it captures. Using jolty, handheld framing, the camerawork conveys and encapsulates the chaos of this world in rapid decline through a sobering, stone-cold blue lens. Heightening the long-winded suspense, Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki orchestrate several magnificently choreographed shots that are minutes long, following both Theo and Kee through a barrage of bullets and explosions as they try to find safety in the midst of an inner-city skirmish in the refugee camp. The exasperated shots and frantic camera movement seem only to add to the momentum of suspense of the climactic scenes of the film.

While the premise of this movie is somewhat speculative, all of its suppositions seem plausible and realistic. This is why the film’s story seems to resonate so hauntingly. Theo’s son dies of a flu pandemic, which meets our contemporary fear of an avian flu pandemic. The British force in charge of the deportation of illegal immigrants is aptly named “Homeland Security,” which blatantly gets its etymology from our own post-Sept. 11, 2001 department dedicated to “protecting” and “preventing” the American people from acts of terrorism. The urban battle between the British army and refugee insurgents at the refugee camp seems instantly familiar, as we as Americans are subjected on a daily basis to similar action on television news coverage of the war in Iraq.

While futuristic and dystopian films can be hyperbolic and unrealistic, the film’s haunting qualities originate in the realization that the premise is not so far-fetched. While Cuarón’s already impressive cinematic portfolio has established him as a talented director, none of his prior works prepare the viewer for the horrific and chaotic world he presents in this film. The film’s prediction of the future is anything but uplifting, but there is something truly magnificent and unforgettable in the uneasy realism of the story and its hauntingly beautiful delivery.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5