Turning a fantastic book into a film seems to be a trend of late and Never Let Me Go is the latest of these projects to hit our screens. Based on Kazou Ishiguro’s book of the same name, this film introduces us to a world and society which, on the face of it, is vastly different from our own. During the film, however, it slowly creeps up on you that there are some haunting similarities, giving the film a disturbing allure, one that makes you unable to look away.
Others, I learned, simply found it to be contrived.
No one could deny, however, that something so akin to a futuristic dystopia – drawing on a cinematic tradition that has always been slightly chilling – becomes even more so when set in the recent past. In the very least, it certainly brings the story a lot closer to home. This film, therefore, is not easy to watch, but in the hands of director Mark Romanek there is no fear of it being heavy-handed or overplayed. Romanek lets his cast, whose list of nominations for major acting awards is lengthy, deliver performances in such a way that you’re sucked into the film rather than left out in the cold.
As the plot methodically unravels, we are left to pick up the clues that the characters leave in their wake, and by do doing are gradually able to piece together the story to reach a disturbing conclusion – a conclusion that drew a mixture of frustrated glares, tears, and deep, contemplative expressions from the audience I was in. There are a number of angles to consider by the end of this film, be it the sense of utter futility on behalf of the characters or the deep and profound sadness that permeated the film. The most important thing I was left with, however, was a challenging philosophical debate that has followed me ever since, deep human concerns that make Never Let Me Go basically unmissable.