all children have to be deceived if they are to grow up without trauma

Ok, let’s get something out of the way right from the beginning: a movie is never better than the book it’s based on. With that said I think Alex Garland’s screenplay is a valiant effort. A two hour movie is a 120-page screenplay, which means that a 300 page novel either gets cut down a lot or becomes a 6-hour miniseries on HBO. Since the latter happened with this film, some of the book is “missing”. Certain scenes are cut way down and in some cases all together erased from the storyline. Having read the book prior to seeing the film I feel like I had a better grasp on what was happening in front of me. That’s not to say that I believe you need to read the book before seeing the movie, all of the important elements of the story are present in the film, but a lot of the commentary that I loved so much is missing.

In general, adaptations of prestigious or well-loved books are hard to pull off. Not only do film-makers feel the pressure to uphold their source’s reputation, but they must also instill the movie version with their own vision, their own style and personal touch. For director Mark Romanek (and Alex Garland), Never Let Me Go must have been as daunting a challenge as any. Much of the story is revealed though narration and it is a coming of age drama that features the sort of quiet, intimate characters that rarely translates well to the screen. However, Romanek and Garland face these obstacles head-on and defy the odds by making a film that – in spirit, at least – stays true to the original source and still succeeds on its own merit.

The film opens in 1978 and we are introduced to Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Kiera Knightley); three friends who are being raised at Halisham, an idyllic looking English boarding school. At first sight the setting appears normal enough, but we quickly discover these are not normal children. (I’m not giving away major spoilers here, you find out this information right upfront and there is no “twist” to protect. However, if you want to remain completely blind to the premise of the film before viewing – stop reading now.)

The running current through the film is that science has found a way to extend human life and to eliminate disease by creating clones, whose only purpose is to live until their early adulthood, then donate their organs. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth are three such clones.

The movie presents an alternative version of our world where cloning technology was created in the 50s and by the late 70s, when the film begins, has been perfected. An entire generation of clones is being raised for spare parts for a world that has made the collective decision to treat these walking organ farms with the illusion of freedom, while never actually acknowledging their humanity. You can’t, after all, because if you do think of them as human, then what right does anyone have to their organs or tissue or blood or bone? If they are more than the sum of their spare parts, then they aren’t spare parts at all.

They go through the motions with them: we see Kathy, Tommy and Ruth grow up at “school”, where they are monitored around the clock to keep them in peak physical health and kept happy and stress-free. They are cut off from the outside world; a life without a choice, but a life with a designated focus. The story spans almost three decades, following them from childhood to adulthood.

If you interpret your films literally, you may not like this film. If you need action, a fast pace, explosions and special effects to enjoy what you are watching, you will not like this film. Furthermore, if your looking for a “feel good movie” this isn’t it. The last 10 minutes of the film are not easy, but if you stick it out you are rewarded with one of the most extraordinary and beautiful endings of a film I’ve ever seen. This movie will not hold your hand and it is not interested in simply handing the audience its ideas. Whatever reactions you have to it will be earned, not spoon-fed.

A film as personal as this relies heavily on its actors; and without their strong performances the film would have fallen flat. Carey Mulligan shows a wisdom and weariness far beyond her years and handles difficult emotional material with sublime restraint that makes the whole thing work. She brilliantly manages to simultaneously convey childlike innocence and graceful maturity. There is a scene about halfway though the film where she is sitting in bed and Ruth comes to have a talk with her. She has no lines in the scene, Keira Knightley does all the talking, but the range of emotions that Carey is able to show on her face in that brief minute and a half is breathtaking and the reason that she is already an Oscar nominated actress at such a young age. And if this was a weaker year for Leading Actress, Carey would most assuredly be getting another nomination. Andrew Garfield once again delivers another stellar performance and makes it completely obvious why he is getting so much buzz. This guy is going to blow up huge. Andrew’s performance is understated, but still emotionally heart wrenching. The highlight of his performance is near the end when he finally realizes that he can’t change his fate; as he stood in the middle of a street screaming his heart out, you could almost hear the collective heartbreak in my theater. Keira Knightley does a decent job and is able to embody Ruth with her crass selfishness and longing. Sometimes her scenes felt a little phoned in though.

At the end of the day this film is not going to make any huge amount of money, and it isn’t likely to win any awards. The film opened in super limited release (4 theaters to start) and has very slowly expanded – at its widest the film was only showing at 232 theaters. It’s having a hard time finding an audience because it is “slow and depressing”. However, it is a film worth your time. It is not often that I come home from a film feeling both defeated and genuinely happy. Never Let Me Go is both beautiful and emotionally devastating at the same time. Many films tug at the heart strings, manipulating the audience into feeling sadness. This film does not manipulate, nor does it try to trick us into feeling for the characters. As I said earlier there is no twist to the film, it ends exactly how we know it will, and that is where the sadness and devastation comes from. Just as Kathy, Tommy and Ruth struggle to accept their fate, so do we. And despite the numerous opportunities for moral and philosophical statements the film does a commendable job of staying true to the novel and avoiding the soapbox.

Ultimately this film serves as a great reminder: that life is precious, your time here is short, in spite of all the medical and technological advances humanity throws at it death still comes to everyone, your choices have consequences, and at the end many of us may feel we’ve not had enough time to love or just get things right.


Never Let Me Go - 4 Stars