Never Let Me Go | Review

Been reviewing so many mediocre movies this week. Nice to have awesomeness grace my blog again.

Michael Bay probably pissed himself watching this movie. Or maybe he fell asleep cause.. you know, movies need to have explosions and tits in his mind. But anyway, I listed this movie as one of the best films of 2010 and when I went back to watch it I feel like I should have placed it slightly higher.

Never Let Me Go follows three people, Ruth, Tommy and Kathy in different stages of their lives from childhood to young adults; in a dystopian future where children are cloned and raised to serve the public by donating their organs one by one before finally submitting to death. The movie chronicles the three of them as they are forced to face the horrifying truth of themselves and confront their feelings of love, jealousy, hatred and hope for each other.

Comparing this silent masterpiece to The Island is an insult really. The first time I saw this, I could never really wrap my mind around it. Because early in the film they submit to their role as intentional organ donors and willingly let them take their organs and slowly but painfully die. But after multiple viewings, I start to realize it wasn't so much about the logic of their decision (because really what logic is there for most violence and deaths in the world) and was more about the internalization of all three of them as they willingly face death and each other.

The highest praise of the film is the cast. Through the different age periods of the film, not a single one of the main actors faltered or was weaker than the other. quite an extraordinary lineup of three of the most talented young British actors. We have Oscar nominees Keira Knightley and Carrie Mulligan of An Education and also Golden Globe nominee Andrew Garfield of The Social Network banding together to create this dark, twisted yet heartfelt character piece.

Keira Knightley was actually my favorite of the three, though she's pretty much the villain. She starts out pretty much like a bitch, she's fucking the boy her best friend loves and rubs it in her faces by teasing her about it. But we see her character grow and at her arc, we realize she's insecure about herself, frightened and fragile. I felt m heartstrings snap when we find out how her character ends. The finale isn't as flashy or dramatic as most movies but it hit me on a more deeper level, like the loss of a real loved one.

Carrie Mulligan didn't have the pleasure of having a story arc like Keira Knightley but she was the driving force of the film. I'd liken her to a young Jo March; resilient in adversity and caring like a mother. Her character was narrated and played wonderfully. Andrew Garfield wasn't really given much to do until the end but when he get's there it's just heartbreaking.

And that's what Never Let Me Go can be summed up as. Heartbreaking. The film really struck a mournful chord with me. I haven't had such an emotional reaction to a film like this in the longest time. The film really makes you reflect on things. Life, love, the things that really matter. People are calling this science-fiction but I feel Never Let Me Go is just a very well told, well acted and well directed melancholy tale of death and love.

Definitely deserved to be higher on the list.

RATING: 8.5/10