MOVIE OF THE WEEK #3: NEVER LET ME GO
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Sally Hawkins, Ella Purnell, Charlie Rowe, Isobel "Izzy" Meikle-Small and Kate Bowes Renna
WRITER: Alex Garland (screenplay); Kazuo Ishiguro (novel)
DIRECTOR: Mark Romanek
WEB SITE: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/neverletmego/
THE PLOT: Adapted from author Kazuo Ishiguro's (The Remains of the Day) novel of the same name, Never Let Me Go stars Carey Mulligan (seen recently in last weekend's box office champ Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) as Kathy H. A student at Hailsham, Kathy (portrayed as a youth by Isobel Meikle-Small) spends most of her days learning with her best friend Ruth (played as a young child by Ella Purnell). But when she is not busy attending class, she keeps her time occupied by observing Tommy (played as a young man by Charlie Rowe, as an adult by Andrew "I'll be your next Spider-Man!" Garfield), a shy fellow who has trouble fitting in. But with the help of a new adult teacher, Miss Lucy (Sally Hawkins), the young trio starts to adjust to life nicely.
That is, however, until Miss Lucy tells them - and the rest of the students in their class - what the future holds in terms of their lives and respective collective purpose. What ensues is a journey that leads to lessons on what it means to be "alive," friendship, love someone and making the most out of the time you have to enjoy all three.
THE TAKE: Never Let Me Go, true to its nature, is one of those films that most people will likely catch on cable one day, maybe on a channel like IFC, never having heard of it. Then, upon seeing the cast and spending a few minutes with the characters, the viewer will likely be drawn into the story and being unsettled a tad at how the story seems so disheartening.
I mention all of this to simple get to one point: Never Let Me Go, while sad and dare I say it, bleak, is the type of film that once it's over you're glad to have seen ... Even if you're not happy about it at the time.
What sticks with you about Go is how the characters at times are, like many of us, naïve to their future and once they are, try to make the most of it as best they can. In turn, the film will subconsciously (or, in some cases such as those of yours truly, consciously) challenge you to think about how you would respond in their situation ... As well as contemplative of what you have done with the time you've already had to use.
Back to the film for a second - Mulligan is by far the clear and away winner here as her character has to emotionally carry the story and she does in a fashion that, for lack of a better word, feels "genuine." In other words, it often doesn't feel like she's acting, which is the highest compliment I can pay to her talents on the screen. While Garfield and Knightley perform well enough in their supporting roles, Mulligan is by far the clear winner in terms of showcasing her talent in the film.
Director Mark Romaneck does a fairly strong job of moving things along (the film moves quicker than it feels, which is also a compliment to his work). Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later) should be a little more keen with his future penwork as there is one too many moments of obvious foreshadowing that distract you from staying "locked in" on the story and forgetting you are watching a movie.
While this year's earlier release Repo Men may have had a similar plot point, that film deals with it in a COMPLETELY different fashion, so if you find out what the Go's plot is ahead of time, do NOT expect a similar movie at all. That being said, Go does have a bit of dystopian feel to it without delving into science fiction territory at all. Yes, the characters in Go wish to change the future, but being resigned to it largely as fact without the typical trappings of government/corporate conspiracy, big shootout sequences and the like gives the film a more organic, almost small Off-Broadway feel.
Unlike movies like the aforementioned Repo Men, A Clockwork Orange and even Children of Men, Go does not focus on the world, the future, the dangers of technology or the like ... It focuses on what it means to be human, the human experience and how we can make the most of the time we are given to enjoy life. In discussing the film with another critically minded friend of mine, I realized I may have in fact missed the film's intended goal of making us take a look at an issue that is a hotly debated one in the medical community and has been dating back to the days of "Dolly," the sheep. (And that's as much as I can say about that without giving it away since I assume a lot of people have short term memories ...)
Be that as it may, that is not what I took - nor what I think what most audiences will take - away from the film. If I am wrong on that, so be it - but examining humanity as a concept vs. that as a moral issue is not what Go does.
PARTING SHOT: Very well-acted, very sad, very British, Never Let Me Go is a bittersweet call to contemplation of life, love and how much we make of both in the experiences we have with both subjects.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR POSSIBLE BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
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