Review of Never Let Me Go (2010) by Lee H — 06 Apr 2012

Amazing performances in a beautiful, sad and thought-provoking movie. This film is a small masterpiece with a lot to say about the importance of love and the shortness of life. We see young students at Hailsham, a lovely, if somewhat faded looking boarding school in the English countryside.

It seems a bit regimented but not terribly strange at first. When Miss Emily tells the students that "students at Hailsham are special," the deeper implications of this statement are not clear.

As we see three of the students grow up and move on from Hailsham, we learn why they are special. Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley as the older Kathy, Tommy and Ruth respectively, turn in brilliant performances.

Carey Mulligan's nuanced performance carries the movie with strong support from the rest of the cast. You'll need your handkerchief but also your heart and your brain. While the premise has a science-fiction element, this movie is really a story about what it is to be human.

Both inn the surface plot situations and the emotional depths of the characters feelings, there is a lot to think about in this story. It is a dystopian world that Kathy, Tommy and Ruth grow up in and the beautiful cinematography, haunting music and sense of loss and regret make this a dark movie, yet one that marks the grace and dignity of people even in tragic circumstances.