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By Nathan Cone

The sad and haunting Never Let Me Go is such a quiet film that it’s easy to see how it slipped under the radars of both the general public and Oscar voters. Yet, this affecting drama directed by Mark Romanek works on a couple of levels. You can look at it as a cautionary tale about advancements in medicine, which is the initial reaction one might have. If you look a little closer, though, you’ll see that Never Let Me Go is about the time we have left on earth with our friends and loved ones.

The movie opens in what first appears to be a private boarding school in England. Young Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are the closest three friends of many children at Hailsham. But something’s different about this school. The children’s uniforms are a little worn, they play with hand-me-down toys, and no one ever wants to leave the school grounds.

One day, a new teacher at the school reveals to the children what has been hinted at only obliquely. Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Keira Knightley), Tommy (Andrew Garfield), and the scores of other young pupils at Hailsham are clones, raised for the sole purpose that they may donate their organs to others as part of Britain’s National Donor Programme. If you’re ready to jump ship because this sounds like it’s venturing into sci-fi territory, stay with me.

Instead of heading down that road, Never Let Me Go follows Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy closely as they grow older. Kathy falls in love with Tommy, but never can bring herself to tell him. Meanwhile, Ruth and Tommy begin a short relationship that’s doomed to failure—and not just because they’ll soon be required to begin the donation process.  Tommy, too, has buried feelings for Kathy.

All three of the leads in the film are terrific in their roles, especially Carey Mulligan as Kathy, who harbors buried feelings throughout the picture. And special recognition goes to the child actors who carry the first third of the picture. An interview on the Blu-ray disc of Never Let Me Go reveals that the adult and youth cast worked closely to make that transition seamless, despite never having any scenes together.

Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley look for answers in Never Let Me Go. Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

From a moral standpoint, Never Let Me Go asks the viewer to examine the reality of these beings and their feelings, so human in every way. If you tickle them, do they not laugh? If they can love, do they not have a soul? If you prick them, do they not bleed? And if you remove their organs one by one, they will die before their 30th year. In the world of the National Donor Programme, death is euphemistically referred to as “reaching completion.”

Eventually the three characters come to reconcile their feelings for one another, though nearly too late.

I guess we all “complete” one day.  Never Let Me Go reminded me of how close we really are to that day, and how important it is to live and love while we still have those closest to us.

 

NEVER LET ME GO on BLU-RAY & DVD

The Blu-ray and DVD of Never Let Me Go includes a 30-minute documentary about the making of the film, including interviews with the cast, director, and author Kazuo Ishiguro, who wrote the source novel.  All involved thoughtfully discuss the movie and its themes.

There are also galleries of faux National Donor Programme propaganda, and artwork associated with the movie.

 

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