It’s difficult to watch HBO’s new hit dystopian drama THE LAST OF US without being reminded over and over again of Alfonso Cúaron’s CHILDREN OF MEN, and for good reason: the video game on which the series is based was openly inspired by Cúaron’s 2006 film. That’s most explicit in the series’ central relationship between a hardened, cynical survivor (Pedro Pascal’s Joel) and a young woman who holds the key to reversing humanity’s misfortune (Bella Ramsey’s Ellie), but Cúaron’s film echoes through the series in other ways both broad (depictions of a totalitarian government and violent resistance) and specific (unexpectedly early character exits). We dig into several of those links after a discussion of how THE LAST OF US’s first five entries — in particular its dazzling third episode — distinguish this series from its most explicit reference point and the many other post-apocalyptic narratives that came before. And if that’s not enough well-wrought intergenerational dystopian drama for you, Genevieve has a suggestion for another recent series to check out in Your Next Picture Show. 

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CHILDREN OF MEN, THE LAST OF US, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Outro music: “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche Mode

Next Pairing: Vincente Minelli’s AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and Steven Soderbergh’s MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE

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