There’s something deeply satisfying about movies that remain etched in your subconscious long after the viewing is over. Added to that list is Never Let Me Go, the 2010 film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed 2005 novel of the same name (directed by Mark Romanek from a screenplay by Alex Garland).
Set in a dystopian Britain, the film follows the lives of three childhood friends Cathy (Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) who first met at their boarding school, Hailsham. As the motives behind Hailsham’s education system are revealed we discover the unavoidable fate of graduating students, and we watch as the trio come to terms with the responsibilities tied to their adult lives.
As a romantic tragedy, Never Let Me Go evokes heavy sobbing and leaves you with a lingering, haunting feeling in its wake. Similar to Romeo and Juliet’s tale of doomed young love, it brings the concept of the human lifespan into focus and the importance of time when it’s taken away from us.
As we have spent much of 2020 locked inside our homes and forced to reflect, Never Let me Go serves timely lessons in hindsight, honesty and ethics from a public health perspective. Prepare to be entranced by the conviction in Carey Mulligan's, Keira Knightley's and Andrew Garfield’s performances.
– Amber Gibson, ACMI X Community Coordinator
See streaming options for Never Let Me Go.
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