Cinema--Never Let Me Go

or: Living a life set out for you.

One word to sum it up: Depressing.

Last year in social studies we did a debate about the 'ethics of death' and whether it was okay to have children born solely for the purpose of donating organs. This was a topic which completely baffled me. Was it okay to have a life cut short just for the comfort of others? Or did the others who really needed it have to have these kind of people around so they could have a shot at living? This argument was one which I had questioned such a long time ago, but after watching Never Let Me Go, I started to wonder about this again. All I know is, this movie has opened me up to a world which I never want to see happen. What these people go through is simply unfair.

On the surface, Never Let Me Go appears to be a film about a love triangle between friends Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley). The three spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic and very organised boarding school. Kathy has always been interested in Tommy, but Ruth, who is quite manipulative, starts a relationship with Tommy, and Kathy quietly wishes that they would separate. But this love triangle is but a small factor of their lives. They live the life that they have planned out for them, and all the while protect themselves for the well being of others. All they have to do is prepare themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

Having not read the source material (I am going to very soon though), I can't make the comparisons and such between the two. The premise is a very intriguing one. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be able to live in a world knowing that someone has been cloned to benefit others, and these people were all locked away from the real world. Forget all the apocalyptic BS going around at the moment, this idea right here scares me. I would never want to live my life having it all planned out for me. And to be honest, I'd hate to live without making choices for myself. This is what makes this movie so sad. The children of Hailsham are treated like they aren't humans and they don't have souls. That just broke my heart.

Alex Garland has had a very interesting career. He started off by writing the novel for the much maligned movie The Beach. Then he wrote the screenplay for another Danny Boyle movie, 28 Days Later... He reteamed with Boyle again for sci-fi thriller Sunshine. These three movies all have something in common with Never Let Me Go. The Beach features another world which is so far away from the real one, much like Hailsham and the normal day-to-day life we would know. 28 Days Later... takes a look at not only science, but sacrifice and again, a different sort of world. Sunshine looks at the decisions people make for the greater good of others, and the choice to make the world exponentially better. Sure, the kids don't save the sun or whatever, but they bump life expectancy up a hell of a lot. Never Let Me Go is by far the most restrained of Garland's work, and while I felt that a great deal was missing from the screenplay, his work in capturing the poor lives of these people was brilliant. Mark Romanek provides a beautiful fluidity to the film, with brilliant cinematography and music to boot. Romanek made the right choice going with this one instead of The Wolfman, that's for sure.

While the screenplay required a bit more work, the actors ensured that things kept chugging along. Firstly, the actors chosen to play the three main characters as children were perfect. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that their 'originals' were really Mulligan, Garfield and Knightley. Carey Mulligan, coming off the back of her stunning Oscar nominated performance in An Education won my heart over as the understanding Kathy. She was just so innocent and so relaxed. Keira Knightley, an actress who has dropped off the radar a bit of late, makes a good turn in this film. Her character was quite confounded and somewhat annoying, but Knightley pulled off these traits beautifully. But for me, Andrew Garfield stole the show. He was adorable (and I don't mean just looks wise). He was just so confused by it all, and Garfield paid attention to every single detail of this interesting character. After all, this man was the reason I cried so much. Just thinking about Never Let Me Go right now makes me feel so sad. Thought this would be a typical romantic drama for two? Think again. It's not for everyone, but it was definitely right for me.

THE VERDICT: A bleak tale with an interesting premise, the script may not complete the film, but all round, this is as depressing as they come. The performances are well done beyond compare.

What I hoped for:

What I got: