Starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley
The podcast that inspired me to start this blog back in
February, Filmspotting, is such a favorite of mine because it brings so many
lesser known films to my attention. I
hear them mentioned, stick them in my Netflix queue, and get pleasantly
surprised when they pop up in my mailbox.
Never Let Me Go is one of
those films. I had never heard of it,
despite its star-studded cast with Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean and tons of stuff), Andrew Garfield (The Social Network and the upcoming Spider-Man reboot), and the always amazing Carey Mulligan (An Education and Drive). However, I quickly
became quite interested in this (technically) sci-fi romantic drama that was
championed hard by Filmspotting host, Adam Kempanaar, in multiple episodes. It was even his favorite film of 2010. Needless to say, I had to check it
out.
With Never Let Me Go, Mark Romanek (best known for 2002’s One Hour Photo and music videos for Nine
Inch Nails, Fiona Apple, and Jay-Z) has adapted a highly regarded novel by
Kazuo Ishiguro. The film spans from the
1970s through the 1990s in an alternate reality where medical science has
advanced so far that by the mid-twentieth century, the average human lifespan
exceeds 100 years. However, life without
terminal illness is not free of sacrifice.
This setup gives Never Let Me Go
its science-fiction tag, but the real meat of the story focuses on the
relationships of three individuals as they cope with their feelings of love in a
world where they are disposable. We come to understand their place in this world throughout the film's three acts, and this understanding can be quite moving.
Never Let Me Go begins innocently enough at a British
boarding school in the 1970s where we meet three pre-teens, Kathy (Isobel Meikle-Small as a child; Carey Mulligan as
a teenager and adult), Tommy (Charlie Rowe, child; Andrew Garfield, teen and adult), and Ruth (Ella Purnell, child; Keira Knightley, teen and adult). They play sports,
attend class, gossip, and start to fall in love, as kids their age tend to
do. However, they soon learn that their
school is not normal but rather a place where people are bred to eventually
donate their vital organs, ensuring that the society’s new standard of living can be
sustained. Living under these
circumstances would put a strain on any relationship, but when two friends with
seemingly little to live for are in love with the same boy, these complications
increase tenfold. On a side note, the
actress who plays the young Kathy strikes an amazing resemblance to Carey
Mulligan (kudos to the casting); while the young Tommy and young Ruth are less
uncanny, both child actors are also really good.
Structured around three clearly defined acts, the film then
ventures on into the next stages of Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth’s lives where they
finish donor training, awkwardly assimilate into regular life, and learn of
rumors about ways out of their situation.
A lot of the film’s power comes from these rumors because they hinge on
love, and these friends have grown into adulthood with the cloud of a love
triangle hanging over them. Kathy is
kind, caring and madly in love with the meek Tommy, whom is taken by the assertive and
strong-willed Ruth. All three main
actors are so strong at subtly portraying these emotions (Knightley probably
being the least subtle, but her character’s traits somewhat demand that that be
the case). There are multiple plot
points that arise during these two acts that I am hesitant to mention in order
to avoid making this review too spoiler heavy.
Each turn in the story takes only adds to the emotional buildup as these
characters’ paths diverge and converge throughout the adult stages of their
lives.
In her three films I’ve seen (An Education, Drive, and Never Let Me Go), it has become apparent
that Carey Mulligan is a feast to the eyes.
Every time she is on screen, I cannot turn away because she is not only
beautiful but also so damn good. Without
uttering a word, she can express so many emotions through her eyes, face, and
mannerisms. Her face alone can tell know
how much pain she is in when Ruth flaunts her relationship with Tommy, how
happy she is when she can get a taste of the love she seeks, and how sad she is
when the weight of their place in the world bears down on them. She got an Oscar nomination (and Oscar snub:
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side my
ass) for An Education, and I
am sure that the accolades will continue to pile up as her career continues to
develop. Andrew Garfield is also great
and Keira Knightley is really good, but Mulligan is the one who steals the
show.
While it will not reach the heights of “Best of 2010”
for me (like it did for Filmspotting’s Adam), Never Let Me Go is still a very strong film. It takes a story of unrequited love and adds
such a unique twist that it quickly got me hooked. You are both terrified by the world that has
been built and moved by the personal stories that take place within it. I cared deeply about Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth,
and pulled for them to find some happiness in their unhappy situations. As a film buff, there’s no better feeling
than finding pleasantly surprising films that completely missed your
radar. Never Let Me Go was such a case.
Mark it 7.
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