Never Let Me Go

In adapting Kazuo Ishiguro's haunting novel onto the big-screen, Mark Romanek has taken a big gamble. But he has come up trumps!

This chilling story begins with a glimpse of the ending. Immediately struck by the cold and empty feel, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy film to get through. The tale begins with Cathy, Ruth and Tommy as children in the seemingly tranquil and prestigious boarding school Halesham and grow up to discover a shocking truth about why they were there.

Romanek has unearthed three absolute gems in the forms of the child actors who all do a stellar job of creating the characters backgrounds and gives them real substance as they grow up. Indeed, he encouraged their adult counterparts to spend as much time as possible with them before filming began and this really comes through in their on-screen performances, not only the startling physical resemblance but in their mannerisms and movements. All too often I find that when a film shows characters as children and adults there is no real connection between them and it can sometimes feel like a totally separate story but here, messers Garfield, Mulligan and Knightley really do seem like the very sweet, innocent children that are first shown to us.

Being a huge fan of Andrew Garfield before I watched this I was looking forward to seeing him take on an all together different role from that in The Social Network, a film I believed should've scored him Best Supporting Actor. However it was Carey Mulligan who totally stole the show. The way she played the innocent darling Cathy was stunning. Having been in love with Tommy her whole life you can really sense her anguish at seeing him and best friend Ruth together. She nailed the balance between weakness and strength and was captivating to watch. All three leads were brilliant and even Keira Knightley, who seems to annoy me in every film, was great despite her character being a bit of a bitch!!

Before I go further though I must warn that isn't a film that you enjoy, in so much as the story has a dark undertone and the questions it leaves you with go deep into the heart of what it is to live. Without giving away too much, it left me thinking, just like Cathy and Tommy, how best to use your short time on Earth. One scene in particular, when they are out in the country on a drive, is superbly acted and particularly harrowing.

Taking on such a novel, Romanek had to produce a cold, almost depressing film on the eye. Bleak landscapes, most of the time in a misty winter, and soft, greyish colours all seduce you into the misery of the story. One scene though, in which the friends, having previously never been in public, are ordering in a cafe, made me laugh and I think the few scenes that do, help to bring a lightness that without, would've made the film near-unbearable to watch in terms of the ever-present shocking truth.

The film raises some very potent issues and at its core is a simple story of friendship, love and living life. The cast project perfectly the innocence of young adults who don't know what it is to live free and deserve great credit, along with the Director Romanek. I haven't read the book but if it's half as good as the film then I'm sure it's brilliant and popular opinion is that it does a good job in re-producing Ishiguro's provocative narrative.

One slight problem I have with an otherwise excellent story though is, and don't read this paragraph if you haven't seen it, that they never once seem to think about the option to try and escape? They are allowed out and granted they have the electronic tags on but not once do they mention it or seem to entertain the idea that they could run away, and we're given no reason to assume it's impossible. Perhaps it is a detail missed out of the film but is in the book I don't know, but i couldn't help but think this throughout. However it wasn't enough to significantly reduce my enjoyment!

Not one for a bright, summers day Never Let Me Go is nevertheless a powerful and moving film which will resonate with you long after you've watched it....