The Saddest Movie Ever

Every now and then, I'll hear about a film still in the development stage that I really, REALLY want to see....
I'll wait a year or more to check out this picture, looking up the latest gossip on its production every few days to try and gauge how good it might turn out to be. Leaks of problems on the set make me sad; positive write-ups only increase my excitement.


Usually, these movies are based off books that I have read. For example, I waited FOREVER to finally see Joe Wright's Atonement, based off a brilliant novel by Ian McEwan. When it finally was released, I had to drive waaaay out to Detroit to catch it in some art house theater, but I assure you, it was worth the effort. I'm just as willing to go of my way to see the film adaptation of David Wong's hilarious and horrifying novel, John Dies at the End (SPOILER: John dies at the end) whenever it comes out.

The film we're about to examine here is just like the two described above -- I've anticipated this one for a long, long time. I may not have made a 200 mile drive to check it out in a theater, but I certainly was willing to scoop up the DVD for purchase the day it was available.

Enjoy.

Never Let Me Go (2010)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/


Netflix description:
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed novel, this sci-fi drama from director Mark Romanek is centered on thirtysomething Kathy (Carey Mulligan), who reflects on her time spent at Hailsham, an English boarding school, alongside classmates Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield). Born for an unusual reason, the three struggle with their destiny and their love triangle. Charlotte Rampling plays headmistress Miss Emily.

Yeah, I have anticipated few movies more than Never Let Me Go. It's a sci-fi-ish drama based off an absolutely beautiful novel by Kazuo Ishiguro about a bunch of English boarding school students who are...well...a little bit different.

You see, these kids are actually clones, raised in bulk by a semi-secret organ harvesting industry. You know -- it's the future, and in this world, organ transplant techniques have become so advanced that they're pretty much the gold standard for treating various illnesses. Lung cancer, heart defects, liver failure -- everyone just gets a transplant from a donor clone to fix such problems. Large schools with thousands of genetically-engineered children exist all over the country. Their only purpose is to grow far enough into early adulthood to become useful donors to regular society.

Never Let Me Go doesn't dwell on that concept so much, though, and that makes it different from just about anything else along these lines that I have ever seen or read. See, in this story, 90 percent of our time is actually just focused on the drama between three main characters -- Ruth, Kathy, and Tommy. We watch them grow up, fall in love, and ultimately part ways.

Kathy is the central focus, and the story is told through her eyes. She and Tommy fall for each other, but Ruth (who is brilliantly manipulative) manages to steal Tommy away for herself. The three grow up in relative harmony, anyway, always trying to avoid pausing long enough to consider the fact that they'll never really get to have independent lives. They KNOW that they're going to die young; it's just that dwelling on it serves no purpose.


This whole story is incredibly depressing, poignant, and heart wrenching. Never Let Me Go studies three regular, innocent souls trying to find hope and meaning against a constant backdrop of the exact opposite. Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy live in a box; everything they do is really sort of pointless when you get down to it. Yet, they experience many of the same things we all do, if in a crippled, twisted way. They're people who learn that sometimes, in an uncaring society, love doesn't make any difference.

Again, this motion picture -- and its novel -- treads a weird line by taking place in a science fiction universe without actually focusing on the science fiction. Never Let Me Go is far and away more drama than anything else, and it may leave you feeling a little numb.

Nevertheless, I loved it. Excellent performances across the board, beautiful visuals, and surreal pacing make this film one of the best of 2010. It's too bad that Never Let Me Go was largely overlooked and unmarketed upon its release, as I think this little gem should have been up there with The Fighter in terms of Oscar nominations. This is a beautiful film.

Check it out.

5 out of 5.

b.