Never Let Me Go (2010 film)

Never Let Me Go (2010 film) is a drama film directed by Mark Romanek and written by Alex Garland, based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, which was published by Faber and Faber and won the Booker Prize in 1989. The film features an ensemble cast, including Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield, and explores themes of identity, humanity, and mortality, as seen in the works of Philip K. Dick and Aldous Huxley. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and the London Film Festival, before being released in the United Kingdom by 20th Century Fox and in the United States by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Plot

The film is set in an alternate history of England and follows the lives of three characters, Kathy H., Ruth, and Tommy, played by Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield, respectively, as they grow up at a boarding school called Hailsham, which is similar to Eton College and Harrow School. The story is narrated by Kathy H., who reflects on her past and her relationships with Ruth and Tommy, as she works as a carer at a hospital in London, similar to St Thomas' Hospital and Guy's Hospital. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the characters are clones, created as part of a secret government program, similar to the Manhattan Project and the Tuskegee syphilis experiment, and that their lives are limited, as seen in the works of George Orwell and Margaret Atwood. The film explores the themes of identity, humanity, and mortality, as the characters try to come to terms with their existence and their fate, which is reminiscent of the Nuremberg Code and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Production

The film was produced by Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich, and was filmed on location in England and Wales, including at Bristol, Bath, and Cardiff, which are known for their architecture and cultural heritage, similar to Oxford University and Cambridge University. The film's cinematography was handled by Adam Kimmel, who worked with Mark Romanek to create a distinctive visual style, inspired by the works of Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick. The film's score was composed by Rachel Portman, who incorporated elements of classical music and electronic music to create a haunting and atmospheric soundtrack, similar to the scores of Hans Zimmer and Thomas Newman.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast, including Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield, who play the lead roles of Ruth, Kathy H., and Tommy, respectively. The cast also includes Izzy Meikle-Small, Charlie Rowe, and Ella Purnell, who play the younger versions of the characters, and Sally Hawkins and Charlotte Rampling, who play supporting roles, similar to the casts of The Remains of the Day and The Handmaid's Tale. The film's cast was praised by critics, with many noting the strong performances of the lead actors, who were compared to the likes of Meryl Streep and Daniel Day-Lewis.

Reception

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the performances of the cast and the film's thought-provoking themes, which were compared to the works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The film holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 72%, based on reviews from critics such as Roger Ebert and Peter Travers, who praised the film's direction and screenplay. The film was also praised by Kazuo Ishiguro, who noted that the film was a faithful adaptation of his novel, which was published by Faber and Faber and won the Booker Prize in 1989.

Themes

The film explores a number of themes, including identity, humanity, and mortality, which are central to the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. The film also touches on issues of ethics and morality, particularly in relation to the cloning of humans and the use of stem cells in medical research, which are similar to the debates surrounding the Human Genome Project and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The film's themes are reminiscent of the works of Philip K. Dick and Margaret Atwood, who explored similar issues in their science fiction novels, such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and The Handmaid's Tale.

Release

The film was released in the United Kingdom in February 2011 and in the United States in October 2010, where it was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. The film was also released in other countries, including Australia, Canada, and Japan, where it was distributed by 20th Century Fox and Toho. The film was screened at a number of film festivals, including the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was praised by critics and audiences alike, similar to the reception of The King's Speech and The Social Network. The film's release was accompanied by a marketing campaign that included trailers, posters, and interviews with the cast and crew, which were featured in publications such as The New York Times and The Guardian. Category:2010 films