LFF Opening Night - Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley
Director: Mark Romanek
Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Summary: As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them...

Putting together a trio of rising British talent, two of which have had mainstream success and one of which is about to, Never Let Me Go takes their fresh faces and places them into a tale about life, death and the complication that is love whilst also adding a touch of almost Orwellian science fiction.

Despite the nature of the narrative, Never Let Me Go manages to not get bogged down in the murky ethics of the morbid tale its telling. Rather it revels in the personal journeys of Ruth, Kathy and Tommy as they bear their souls to each other – despite the assertion by the powers that be that they have no souls to begin with.

Attempting to describe the beauty of the piece is difficult to do without spoiling it in the process, but needless to say that despite director Mark Romanek's tendency to be heavy handed with his metaphorical screen representations, he has put together a film which is poignant and above all fragile. Managing to make simple interactions between the leads and people around them sinister, tinged with sadness but without being manipulative – which was an issue with a film such as My Sister's Keeper for example.

This fragility is embodied by all three leads but especially in Carey Mulligan's performance. An Education showed off her ability to play doe eyed innocence with ease but Never Let Me Go adds a world weariness and weight which her porcelain features belie. Andrew Garfield, has the capacity to play tormented with such ease and affability that it borders on the sociopathic and Keira Knightly, perhaps wishing to show young upstart Mulligan that she is also an Oscar nominated actress, is competent enough as the jealous best friend and lover to earn her “and” in the credits. However unfortunately for her, the character is underwritten and her motivations remain unexplored.

The child actors portraying these three leads are also fantastically cast. Yes, they certainly look like them but their performances are more than simply extensions of the adult performers. They add traits that are hard to shake off and they will stay with you throughout the film. It's not often that Casting Directors are praised but they should be here.

Never Let Me Go blends elements of horror, science fiction and romance perfectly. There are occasional plot holes that are unexplained but you forgive that when you're so involved in the story between the three leads unfolding before you. There is a real team effort on display which should translate into deserved awards come next year.