“Never Let Me Go” looks a lot more like Merchant Ivory than Philip K. Dick, but make no mistake, this is a science fiction film, albeit with barely a single trapping of the genre.
It’s also an impossible film to describe at length without dampening the film’s moody and menacing atmosphere.
The film doesn’t hinge on a 180-degree about-face that must be spoken about in hushed, spoiler-tagged language, but it’s better to walk in knowing nothing at all and allow the film’s slowly revealed truth to wash over you in waves, each one encroaching a little closer than the last.
Still, with marketing blitzes and a highly acclaimed 2005 source novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, it’s probable most viewers will have already picked up on the endgame, by osmosis or otherwise. That hardly renders the film impotent.
Mark Romanek (“One Hour Photo”) has crafted a beautifully restrained film that deals with deep emotional turmoil without resorting to histrionics (save for one misstep late in the film), and Carey Mulligan is a revelation as Kathy, the plaintive and caring woman at the heart of the film.
Along with friends Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley), Kathy spent her childhood at a distinguished boarding school (here, all three are played by brilliantly cast children who appear to be the actual younger version of each, especially Isobel Meikle-Small as the young Kathy). The school is presided over by the strict Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling), and the children there live a structured, but pleasant existence. But when a new teacher, Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins), arrives, she puts the first crack in the illusion.
After they’ve graduated boarding school, the three are able to move to a countryside home with some other friends. Kathy has pined for the outcast Tommy since their childhood, but the more assertive Ruth has claimed him. Kathy longs to feel close to someone, and the increasingly bleak state of the world that emerges throughout the film explores the way the need for human connection adapts.
Adam Kimmel’s photography captures dystopia in an entirely different fashion than the urban decay of “Blade Runner” or “Brazil.” Here, windswept landscapes and desolate beaches comprise the visual language of humanity’s despair.
“Never Let Me Go” is a quietly affecting film, disturbing and moving the viewer all at once.
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anonymous 1 year, 7 months ago
Nice article Somers.