Never Let Me Go (2010)

The story of three friends who are tragically born to lead short lives, and the love triangle that forms between them in their brief time together.

Director:

Mark Romanek

Writers:

Kazuo Ishiguro (novel), Alex Garland (screenplay)

Stars:

Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Izzy Meikle-Small

6 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carey Mulligan	...	Kathy
Andrew Garfield	...	Tommy
Izzy Meikle-Small	...	Young Kathy (as Isobel Meikle-Small)
Charlie Rowe	...	Young Tommy
Ella Purnell	...	Young Ruth
Charlotte Rampling	...	Miss Emily
Sally Hawkins	...	Miss Lucy
Kate Bowes Renna	...	Miss Geraldine
Hannah Sharp	...	Amanda
Christina Carrafiell	...	Laura
Oliver Parsons	...	Arthur
Luke Bryant	...	David
Fidelis Morgan	...	Matron
Damien Thomas	...	Doctor
Nathalie Richard	...	Madame

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

boarding school | school | love | childhood | children | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] Official site [us]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 2011 (UK)

Also Known As:

Nunca me abandones

Filming Locations:

Andrew Melville Hall, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£625,496 (UK) (11 February 2011)

Gross:

£1,473,603 (UK) (18 February 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DNA Films, Film4, Fox Searchlight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The visit to Norfolk, on England's east coast, was filmed in Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare, on England's west coast.

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Goofs

When Kathy and Tommy enter Madame's house, a clock on a shelf says 1:30 pm. When they wait for Madame to return, a clock on the wall behind Kathy and Tommy says 3:30 pm.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: The breakthrough in medical science came in 1952. Doctors could now cure the previously incurable. By 1967, life expectancy passed 100 years.

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Crazy Credits

The Hailsham School Song can be briefly heard at the very end of the credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Knight and Day/I Am Love/The Killer Inside Me (2010)

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Soundtracks

"SUNSHINE STREET"
Written by Mike Smith and Richard Erskin
Published by KPM Music
Courtesy of KPM Music

User Reviews

A mixed reaction to an abridgment of greatness

As a fan of the book I had a mixed reaction to this adequate yet overall uninspiring adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's brilliant novel.

Looking back at my viewing experience I was reminded of the early adaptation of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' from the earliest era of films, in which the filmmakers expected you to have read the book and simply showed you interpretations of various scenes.

Alex Garland's screenplay boasted the ambition of including a little bit of everything from Ishiguro's 300 page book in his slightly under two hour movie. The result is a simple abridgment, we have time to realize the love brewing between the characters, the strained friendship between Mulligan's Kathy and Knightley's Ruth, and the dilemma of their caregivers at Hailsham. But the film lacks much the catharsis and the commentary that made the book so great.

Romanek has proved himself to be a capable director, but here he made some negative decisions which really removed much of the impact of the plot. Adam Kimmel's cinematography is a stand out here, and given the competition so far I wouldn't be surprised if he receives an Oscar nomination for his work.

The calm collection and stoic nature of much of the acting can be seen as insipid or uninteresting to some. But I found the acting to be quite appropriate, the tight lipped, proper British style of this movie provided an nice contrast and balance to a story which could have turned into a mindless melodramatic tear jerker if not handled correctly.

In the end, I think active viewer-ship is of paramount importance to this movie. The film is never interested in simply handing the audience its ideas. Rather it called upon us to dig for meaning. I would say the plot itself served as a bit of a metaphor, and that intrigued me. And, despite some of the negative artistic liberties which were taken in this adaptation, I feel that it did well enough to create an involving, though provoking, and sometimes heartbreaking experience.

Despite its flaws, 'Never Let Me Go' has been one of the few strong film that we've had this year. And, if your one of those people who goes to the movies once or twice a month, I'd say 'Never Let Me Go' is one of your better bets for an agreeable experience at the movies right now.