Movie: Never Let Me Go

Fox Searchlight Pictures

I got this on Netflix a few days back. I remember hearing so-so reviews on it after one of the major film fests (TIFF maybe?) but I was curious based on the cast. The film stars Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley.

Might I add that I was amazed at how well the young actors were cast for Mulligan's and Knightley's characters? They not only looked like them (eerily so), but they also sounded like them.

Fox Searchlight Pictures

I had no idea about the plot beforehand, which made it all the more interesting once I got started.

SPOILER ALERT (and I recommend watching without reading this part) The basic story is that these three characters grow up at what seems to be a boarding school, but where you quickly discover is actual an organ farm in an alternate universe. These people have been created for the sole purpose of supplying vital organs for transplants. Once they are old enough they start the donor process, and, after 3-4 surgeries, once they have lost various body parts, they die, or "complete."

Mixed into all of this is a pretty tragic love story. Many reviewers said this film fell flat. But I was mesmerized by the general idea of the organ farms, and thought the love story was captivating and tragic. Also, the general look and feel of the film caught my attention. All-in-all, I was intrigued and enjoyed it. It made me want to read the book that the film was based on, written by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Trailer: