Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
R | 15 September 2010 (USA)
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As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them.

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Evengyny

Thanks for the memories!

Lumsdal

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Afouotos

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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Humaira Grant

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

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Ian

This is dystopian sf without any sf trappings set, perhaps, in an alternative universe. It's dark, you may want to watch it but if you do, be warned, it's not always easy viewing, either for the emotional content or the story gaps.The 'reveal' is revealed within the first 15-20 minutes but the chances are you might pick up on it earlier.It's not totally original. Check out The Island and if you want to go further back, 1979's Parts: The Clonus Horror.It's based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro and screenplayed by the usually-brilliant Alex Garland. If you want to delve into the antecedants, Michael Marshall Smith wrote a novel in 1996 called Spares.Given its heritage and gravitas, it seems like sacrilege to criticise this movie but my main doubts occurred early on with the characters' total acceptance of their situation (compare and contrast with The Island) and where the whole world accepts the moral and ethical compass and fortitude shown by their teachers and society. They're free to run around in the world but they have no idea what's going on.It's a big question which the plot studiously avoids.But if you accept it, as do the players, and follow the characters then you'll have an interesting, human, and perhaps even soul-searching journey. Unfortunately, I couldn't ignore this massive plot gap so much of the emotional drama of the situation was lost.Maybe the novel was more profound. The film attempts to be but, alas, it is not.

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bravogrl2005

This movie is beautiful, powerful, and leaves you feeling empty and full at the same time. It is slow like other have said, but that's because of the focus it puts into its character development and atmosphere it creatures for the movie to stand on in the end. If you have the time and don't need lots of flair and explosions to enjoy your movie, watch it. But don't just watch it, pay attention, let it speak to you and then you won't feel it was a waste of time.

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thekrcko-06907

But this film made me wanna invent a time travel machine an take back time I wasted on watching. Just wanna encourage you guys, if you feel like a lone idiot who doesn't like such pathetic stories, you are not alone.

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zhongzl-kelley2014

This film has a really expensive cast, which does the original story justice, which was written by the Literature Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro. Although Ishiguro moved to England in an early age, his story is heavily Japanese-flavored. Humanity, isolation, despair, love, those are very common themes in Japanese literature. Therefore I feel like a large portion of plot would be better suited for Japanese actors and actresses. It might not be that comprehensible in this side of the cultural gap. Even jarringly inconsistent. For example, the Japanese obsession with vagueness is unique to Japanese culture, and not translatable by language. It is very understandable for Japanese characters to not say something important, even those that must be spoken, in fear of spoiling the present that they so enjoy. Tommy wouldn't tell Ruth that he liked Kathy more because he was unsure of Kathy's feelings. He would be afraid that he would cause Kathy troubles if he rejected Ruth, since romantic rejection for her sake would clearly ruin Kathy and Ruth's friendship. But since Kathy already saw Ruth and Tommy kissing, she wouldn't tell Tommy she liked him in fear of hurting Ruth. Ruth, of course, cared deeply about both her friends, therefore the fragile balance could sustain. But none of those misunderstandings and subtle, beautiful web of love and friendship would be possible in the brutally transparent language that was used in the film. I think the difference might be that it is impossible to tell what an Asian person is feeling by looking at him/her/them, but it is for Westerners, therefore it would all be quicker and easier. Carey Mulligan, being a fan of the book, did a very precise and relatable interpretation of the book. Her performance would satisfy the fan. But Andrew Garfield made Tommy look like a total loser. He said in one of the interviews that Tommy was anxious, so he was trying to spice anxiety into his performance. It doesn't take an expert to tell that he was wrong. Tommy wasn't anxious at all. In fact, he was meticulous, caring, sensitive, endearing. He was powerless yet heartbreakingly firm about defending his love and friends and humanity. He wasn't supposed to make any audience resent or despise Tommy. If he had actually read the book, the movie would be entirely different. But I love his scream at the end. It was very heart-felt and soul-crunching. I was very inspired and shaken by that scream. At least he got that right.Keira Knightly went amiss too. Her Ruth was mean, manipulative, domineering. But a Japanese Ruth would be more considerate, more gentle, more smooth. She would not so openly, easily declare her affections, but would wait until it bursted her and tortured her more than she could bear that she spitted it out. She was supposed to feel like a friend worth having, but did the worst thing for caring. Keira Knightly said in an interview that she didn't understand Ruth's motives. Audience can sense that by watching, and those misunderstandings kind of tore the story apart.I am grateful that someone bothers to make the novel into a movie at all. To convey the cultural and emotional contexts of the novel, they were obviously trying very hard, but to a mediocre success. I can't say Japanese actors would do it any better, since some of them regard acting with a bizarre kind of sportsmanship instead of craftsmanship, pushing themselves into emotional and physical limits instead of thinking with clear heads what the characters were really supposed to do. So I guess it is as good as it can get.

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