Never Let Me Go (2010)
Certified: 14
Duration: 103 minutes
Directed by: Mark Romanek
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley, Charlotte Rampling, Sally Hawkins
KRS release
Based on the already seminal Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel of the same name, Never Let Me Go is a haunting trip. It is a gripping and ethereal dystopian science fiction tale. Contrary to the usual utopia presented in sci-fi films where the future is depicted as being perfect and full of hope, the film serves as a warning of a nightmarish world that could occur through the unbridled use of cloning.
The film starts by introducing us to three children living in a very unusual sort of boarding school. Katy (Izzy Meikle-Small), Ruth (Ella Purnel) and Tommy (Charlie Rowe) all attend Hailsham Academy where their teachers are referred to as guardians. The children are given the best education and are under the supervision of the strict headmistress Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling). The students have to wear wristbands that serve as monitoring devices.
One day, Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins) becomes their new guardian. She feels sorry for these kids and discloses to them the reason for their existence. They have been raised as clones and their body is to be used for organ donations. Miss Lucy’s tenure at Hailsham is understandably short.
Meanwhile, Kathy and Ruth are inseparable. Kathy likes Tommy but Ruth, knowing this, takes Tommy on as her boyfriend. Sequences skip to seven years later with Tommy (Andew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley) still together. Together with Kathy (Carey Mulligan) they have now been moved into a set of semi-independent cottages. Before this they had lived isolated from the outside world; now they meet others who seem to know more about the world’s goings on. The wristbands are still there but they have more freedom.
The film skips forward once more with the trio’s friendships and romances becoming even more tangled. They are becoming weaker and weaker as they are undergoing one operation after another. They are trying to delay what seems to be inevitable. The film is directed with a sure touch by Mark Romanek, acclaimed music director for the likes of David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Coldplay and also director of the brilliant One Hour Photo. The film seems to be gathering pieces of the book, turning them into powerful episodes and tying them all together with an invisible string.
The decision by Mr Ishiguro to set the film in the past instead of the near future that is usually the staple of the genre is an unusual one. It gives the audience a feeling that this manipulation and twisting of life has already happened and is happening, making the film even more haunting.
The characters are well played with Andrew Garfield and Cary Mulligan especially filling their parts well and lighting up the screen. We get to care about these characters, these clones that are but copies; or are they not?
This film will definitely warrant a discussion, it’s too powerful to merit anything less.