Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go_360P

A really stupid film. Cloned humans willingly allow themselves to be butchered for spare parts. This is simultaneously silly and gruesome: clones without an eye or hopping around without a leg - Keira Knightley pushing around a walking frame after she's had most of her organs removed. Tacked onto this is an unrelentingly dire love story: girl likes boy, girl looses boy, girl gets boy back but he's about to be butchered. Still if I had to be positive you have to say the actors take this rubbish seriously and put in solid performances. But aside from the rotten plot the film is so slow and uninteresting that after 2 hours you look at your watch and find out 20 minutes has gone by.

I had read the book and loved it. But this movie isn't for just anyone. I went to the sneak preview last night and there are always people who go to ANY movie because it's free -- those people hated this movie. My rant is it is their responsibility to do a little homework about a movie -- don't just go because it's free! That said...what a beautiful film. The visuals are something you will remember, the acting is superb, the cast (the kids as the young students and the older kids), the horror of "the secret" and then the unveiling of the reason for "hope" they cling to. One of the best reasons to see this movie is that you will need to think about topics you have not ever grappled with before. Your memories and opinions of this movie should be haunting and unforgettable. It is not a happily-ever-after film and is quiet, slow, and deep. The music is wonderful. Think of this as a foreign film and go with that in mind.

Despite some good acting, good film making and good direction the plot of this depressing film is so confusing and silly it's really hard to get into it. The confusion starts with the date of the movie,1978. I guess we are supposed to believe that for years there have been boarding schools where children are raised for one purpose, to donate organs to some other people we never learn about in order to keep those people alive instead of these people. More confusion starts when we realize the kids are being lied to about their real destiny then a new teacher is hired who tells them the truth one day and is summarily fired the next for outing the school, but the kids don't cry or complain at all. I don't know about you but if I were told at age ten that I wasn't going to have no future and was just an organ donor who was destined to die young I think I might be a bit upset. Why this teacher from the outside was hired to begin with is also beyond me. And it seems easy enough for the kids to run away but no one even tries. It gets even sillier as they grow, a whole 3 way romance thing is going on which isn't very interesting and then we discover they can come and go as they please, they even have cars to use. There is this whole mentality presented that the kids, now 20 somethings all really want to die as donors, but then all they do is talk about not wanting to die or something. At any point any of them could have taken off and disappeared. Is there anyone to stop them? Who knows, all we see is that they have wrist bands and have to beep in to a monitor when coming home. You would think someone would at least try to escape, what's the worst that can happen? And the fact that they raise, train and teach these people for 20 years just to have them die is not very cost efficient. Don't waste your time with this one unless you want to be depressed and bored to death like the characters themselves.

Though inspired from a highly acclaimed novel, this movie is relatively less publicized and that might be one reason for not being known to many. Two deepest of human emotions, love and betrayal are depicted in a subtle fashion in this movie. Cinematography and direction are good. Screenplay is slow in later half, yet gripping over all. Certain scenes sure will have a haunting affect on you. Mulligan's acting is solid. Knighley's emotional performance is intense. But above all, I believe it's Garfield who stole the show, in the role of an isolated, confused and struggling boy. I would say...Watch this movie with little expectations, you won't be disappointed.

In an alternative reality taking place in the 20th century, clones of people are being raised in boarding schools for them to grow up as walking organ donors to aid mankind to lead longer lives. The film follows the short lived lives of several of them from childhood up, in the most lifeless and dragged out fashion imaginable. There isn't much of a story here, in between the excruciatingly overacted drama and ponderous thought provoking (the term is used loosely here) clichés, that is. The premise is asinine (Do they transplant brains too? Can't they just create soulless bodies and put them in stasis until such time an organ is needed or something to that effect) and the execution vapid and nonsensical. Any interesting ground that could have been explored, was conveniently reduced to a heap of hopelessly boring platitudes about inter human connections and done to death ethics involving human cloning. It plods and then plods some more.

Just ahead, I'll tell you how to know if you'll love or hate this movie (very few will be in between). But first, I'm always surprised to see people reading the novel, rushing to the movie, and then expressing disappointment with remarks such as, "there are gaping holes." A 2-hour movie is a 110-page screenplay, which means a 300-page novel becomes a 6-hour miniseries. Get Martin Scorcese, hire "Never Let Me Go" novelist Kazuo Ishiguro to write the screenplay, and cast it right, and you'll have a shot at making a miniseries that CAN be compared to the novel; otherwise, let's understand the limitation and let the film stand on its own. I didn't read Ishiguro's novel, and I found Mark Romanek's film (screenplay by Alex Garland) to be a beautiful, profound and complete meditation on life. It demonstrates the best and worst of human behavior, the beauty of undying love, and the heroism of accepting responsibility (or fate in this case). To me, the story is uplifting and memorable, in spite of its overall sad and melancholy tone. What's more, it's seamless, from the superb performances by Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield, to the near perfect direction by Romanek, to its gorgeous cinematography with muted color palette, to its precise wabi-sabi production design (the beauty of worn and broken things). But how can you know if you'll like this film or not? Forget the Sci-Fi angle; it's insignificant except as a stepping-off point for a story that reveals great truths: That life is short, your choices have consequences, and at the end none of us may feel we've had enough time to love, or just get things right. But I can safely say... If you interpret your movies literally, you will not like this film. If you need action, a fast pace, explosions and special effects, you will not like this film. If your idea of a great movie is Inception, forget it. On the other hand, if you can appreciate a fine story by Henry James, Edith Wharton, or Katherine Anne Porter, this film is made for you. If you enjoyed Todd Haynes' lovely melodrama, Far from Heaven, or Oren Moverman's powerful movie, The Messenger, or Tom Ford's poignant film, A Single Man, you'll love this picture. The story addresses themes of love, longing, jealousy, betrayal, courage, atonement, and perhaps most important "acceptance." The film also asks us to consider the "morality of science," and some might find this aspect chilling, but to me the larger human themes overwhelm this one. When I saw Never Let Me Go, the theater was about one-third full, but probably one-third of these folks walked out by the half-way point. And, surprisingly, the couple sitting behind me got up and walked out 10 minutes before the end, once they were convinced (revealed by their groans) that the story would not have a happy ending. Apparently, they were looking for the "feel good movie of the year." Sadly, they missed the most extraordinary and beautiful ending -- most of the emotional power comes in that last 10 minutes -- but then I suppose they wouldn't have understood it. But to me, Never Let Me Go is the "feel good movie of the year," precisely because it tells the truth: life is beautiful because there are hopes and dreams, love and loss, tears and tragedies. One final note: Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield are excellent in their roles, but Carey Mulligan is the standout -- she shows a wisdom and weariness far beyond her years, and handles difficult emotional material with a sublime restraint that makes the whole thing work. I feel we are witnessing the early work of the next Deborah Kerr, Sarah Miles, or Vanessa Redgrave. This is an excellent film, one of the best of the year, and not to be missed by those who appreciate depth and literary quality.

source: Never Let Me Go

And I didn't even make it 'till the end. This review contains just a minor spoiler so everybody know what to expect. Plot of this movie is about people that are bred to be organ donors. Plot is totally unrealistic because people that are donors are not resisting at all. They are like cattle waiting peacefully for slaughter. From early age they know they will be organ donors and their organs will be taken one by one, as long as they live their short life. In the movie, this kind of a society is introduced as peaceful, normal and ethically approved. Now if you can imagine a peaceful society, where people are willing to be separated piece by piece, to be organ donors, against their will, and not resist at all, you might like this movie.

Imagine having your entire life already planned out before taking your first steps, how messed up is that? Well, that's sort of the premise of 'Never Let Me Go', a brilliant small independent film released in 2010, before Andrew Garfield blew up, and at the beginning of Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan's prime. Thought provoking and emotionally visceral & intimate, 'Never Let Me Go' beautifully captures what this Dystopian (but also perhaps semi-realistic) future may feel like. A touching love triangle amidst a heavy script from Alex Garland nicely fills out the rest of the film, as if it wasn't already intriguing enough to have those main 3 be top billing. Not that she has ever shown me otherwise, but it's always nice to be reminded just how powerful of an actress Carey Mulligan is. There's always a tremendous weight and gravitas to her roles that puts her on top of the game. Knightley and Garfield are great too, but this is Mulligan's film to behold. 8.7/10