Warning... Spoilers ahead!
Never Let Me Go is a movie that took so long to be released in Australia. For once I wasn't interested in this film even if it had Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley in the cast until I realise that the film involves science fiction and it is science fiction and romance that blends together.
It is based on an acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro and in 1952 a medical breakthrough had risen the human life expectancy to over a 100. NLMG is three films in one. First, it is 1978 and three children from a boarding school in Hailsham, Kathy (Mulligan), Ruth (Knightley) and Tommy (Garfield) are set to become donors when they've become adults. Their teacher Ms. Lucy (Sally Hawkins) tell them that when they do, they'll never live a happy life or have a longer one. WE then realize that Hailsham is actually a prison and that the kids are clones of middle class citizens. The second section is where Kathy, Ruth and Tommy are teenagers and are set out to their fates whereas Ruth and Tommy become a couple while Kathy watches. Lastly Kathy and Tommy fall in love after Kathy had donated her organs and Tommy set out for his final days
Now I have never read the book but it has a great concept about being human and fate. Before I went and saw it, I presume that this film will have the same appeal to a lot of people as The Notebook. This movie is a romance and pretty much the chemistry between Mulligan, Knightley and Garfield is so poignant and cold at the same time.
Never Let Me Go has an approach simlar to Blade Runner and Gattaca. It all has to do with not being human. Blade Runner deals with human replicas rebelling against humans for putting them invto slavery. Never Let Me Go has that concept but the trio doesn't go against anything.
Screenwriter Alex Garland doesn't explain the situation the trio's in and facing and the real world or people who set that up leaving it so dull and dry. And without that, you are dumbfounded into thinking that it was a science fiction flick.
However this film has an excellent cast with Mulligan and Garfield who are both endearing and conflicted respectively while Knightley is great as the selfless Ruth. But all of them has to bring in a sentiment to this adaptation and only give more to the audience and not to the whole movie itself. This could not set up a tone for the film and ends up being a soap opera
Never Let Me Go is a romantic if yet beautifully directed by Mark Romanek and acted out by a young cast. If only it had more.
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