Never Let Me Go (2010)

Never Let Me Go is a movie based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel with the same name and directed by Mark Romanek. Starred by Carrey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield. The novel was a big success, Time magazine said it is the best novel in 2005.

It tells a story about the life of three students in Hailsham, an idealistic boarding school who taught their students to be prepared for what they are born to be, for the sake of healing people who in need of a donor. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth are friends since child as they are attending the boarding school together and involved in a love triangle. 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 (Fox Searchlight Pictures).

First of all, I have waited long enough to watch this movie. There's Mark Romanek and promising cast, and a beautiful poster. Mark Romanek maybe have a long experience in making video clips but so far his movies is far from disappointment. He made the right choice to dropped Wolfman and direct this movie. Carrey Mulligan is known for An Education, where the role she played got her picked to be Kathy, the leading actress in the movie. It is actually what she's hoping to be, given she is a fan of the book. It is stated here that she could not bear the idea of Kathy getting portray to somebody else. I guess she does keep her word, because the young actress could amazingly portray the essence of Kathy. Andrew Garfield did not shine at the beginning but plays Tommy quite okay. Keira plays the antagonist friend pretty well but it feels like she have the same acting almost every role she plays. I also loved the child version of the three, because they feel much like the earlier days of them. It's genius to rehearse them like they put it to be.

As in the adaptation from the novel, I do feel there's a silent but beautiful quality you feel from the Japanese movies in this movie. Parts where they don't need a dialogue but express them in a mimic that are sometimes deeper than words. The three main characters in this movie also shows a calm manner and the simplicity to live. They say a novel tells a story more detail than a movie, that's why I feel like I should read it too.

Watching a story where a human does not live the way a human could live, instead prepared themselves to provide for another human's cure is an eye opening, lead us to cherish our own lives. Making them as not a normal people, incapable of reaching their dreams and unable to make long term relationship with people. Their future is not for them to choose and their choices is limited, but they do know their terms. That is one thing I love about the story, because they did not question why since they've been prepared as child to be that way. The scene where they are confused what to order in a restaurant stating that they are raised un-individually. It is a good statement to portray their nescience to be an individual.

Director Mark Romanek has said that, as in the film, everyone has to uncover what our relations to our own mortality is; we have two choices: either go against it, or try to figure out a way around it like the character Tommy does. When questioned about what he'd hoped that audience would get from Never Let Me Go, Romanek said it was to remind people of what is important, like love, behavior and friendships. He recalled an email a person had written to him that said: “I saw your film and it made me cry and I haven’t reacted to a film emotionally like that in years. And I called my father, cause I realized I hadn’t spoken to him in 3 weeks and I told him how much I love him and how much I appreciated what a good father he’s been.”

Andrew Garfield believes the story of Never Let Me Go is about humans and projecting "what it is to have a soul, and how you prove what a soul is"; he says he enjoys the way the film is a "call to arms" about the positives of life. He further adds that its message could hopefully remind people that they have a choice to arise in the morning and wonder what their preference and their activities for the day should be instead of questioning what they should or are obligated to do. (wikipedia)

the other version of the poster, beautiful blend of colors

 With unlimited choices we do have, despite all of our consideration of what our lives could be and want to be, the story made a point where we are lucky to have all that and have all of the decisions to reach our dreams and to be with the people we love.