What would happen if you would take the concept of one of Michael Bay’s movies, remove the explosions and action and just focus on the characters? You would probably end up with Never Let Me Go, which in actuality is based on a book, but it does show similarities with one of Bay’s movies.
Never Let Me Go tells the story of three people: Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley). We are introduced to them when they are still children. They grow up in something which looks like a boarding school. Everything is very strict at the school and the students are being prepared for their future. Kathy is slowly discovering her own feelings about Tommy and the two start to hang out, but Ruth is also interested in him, which of course results in some tension between them. When they are done with the boarding school they slowly start to go their own ways. As a viewer you slowly find out they are living in a very strange society and that there is something very dark which will impact their lives.
Never Let Me Go is a movie which really is a simple love story, but because of its background you constantly have the feeling something bigger is going on which you don’t see. Personally I wanted to see more of that as I was very curious about how this society came to be and which ethical questions this society had. The acting of the three lead roles is excellent and very convincing, with them showing amazement at things they never saw when they were in school. This movie offers romance and drama. It’s a sad story which was interesting to watch.
Score: 7
This was a great film. One of the best of the year. But I certainly felt there were flaws. The book was a hundred times better.
I keep hearing that the book was way better a lot. Personally I liked it but wasn’t as impressed with it as you seem to be. Maybe it was because I was waiting for the bigger picture which never came….
I love this film. Mulligan of course, is the big part of why. I read somewhere that they didn’t show much about how and why they are what they are, because they are afraid that it would be more sci-fi rather than drama.
I never thought about the Michael Bay movies without the explosions, that’s an interesting thought.
That was the first thing I thought of when I saw this because of the similarities, of course this is way better with a lot more depth!
It is a drama and really doesn’t have a sci fi angle apart from what is mentioned, but not shown much…
I am a big Knightley fan and I really wanted to see this when it came out. Sadly, I missed it and I still haven’t got round to renting it. I’ve heard mixed views, though, with one friend describing it as ‘depressing’…
Yes, it surely is a depressing film, your friend is completely right about that…
I loved this movie and I thought the performances were fenomenal, especially Carey Mulligan, but also Andrew Garfield. The scene were Keira’s character tells the truth to the other two is so sad and moving, you can feel the dispair.
For me it didn’t have as much impact basically because it was already obvious why she did that from the start. You do get the feeling of lost love at that moment though….
You know, I thought the movie missed the mark a bit at first and it lingered in my mind for many days afterward (which is quite rare these days). It’s a truly haunting film, I just wished the characters would have fought back a little, providing a bit more drama to the proceedings.
Not a lot of movies which can do that indeed. Yes, would have loved to see that as well. I guess the schools made sure they didn’t think about that…
I agree with Castor, it’s not a perfect film but has that haunting quality. But yeah, it’s a much, much more compelling film than The Island which had a similar theme. Carey Mulligan blew me away with her graceful performance and I also like Andrew Garfield here.
The performances were great, these actors showed what they are capable of as there is nothing else that can distract you from the acting.
Another film that one moment I want to watch and another moment I want to skip. I’m back to wanting to watch it now. Seems interesting.
Hahaha, seems that I keep making your “to watch” list longer and longer 😉
You most certainly do… And it’s not a bad thing at all 🙂
a “haunting quality” indeed as Ruth and Castor stated. I didn’t stop thinking about this film for a few days after seeing it. it really didn’t let go. nice review!
question- most people hate Michael Bay movies ( i personally don’t care), but what were your thoughts on The Island, starring Ewan MacGregor and Scarlett Johansson?
I quite enjoyed it to be honest, although one thing I didn’t like about it was the fact that there was a lot of product placement in it. I watched Transformers Dark of the Moon this past week and enjoyed that too….it all has to do with your expectations of a movie…
I’m really interested in seeing this film just to compare it with the book. I did really enjoy the book, but it did feel like there was something missing and it sit a little uneasy – probably given the subject matter. I like how you didn’t give any thing away here, it’s sometimes difficult to write about a movie without letting any spoilers slip – good job!
As far as I understood, the book was better (haven’t read it myself). I always try not to give too much away and that’s because I’m someone who doesn’t like to spoil things. There are a lot of people that don’t watch and it’s always nice to go into a movie not knowing too much about what will happen.