Children of Men (2006)

Alfonso Cuarón grounds near-future collapse in London through rust, grime, and worn municipal equipment rather than futuristic fantasy. Armoured buses have wire-mesh welded over broken glass, makeshift military barricades repurpose scrap angle-iron, and battered family saloons are bump-started down muddy rural tracks. The tactile decay of public infrastructure feels frighteningly ordinary and tangible to anyone who knows British roads.