Love triangles can usually be dull affairs. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, another stands in their way, conflict happens and then resolved – cue credits. It’s a set pattern seen in countless films over the decades of which Never Let Me Go uses to its fullest. Making such an archaic story interesting is the twist in its tale giving events a fresh spin. Competent if not as remarkable as it could have been, this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel adds another dimension to the often used romantic formula.
Living their lives at an English boarding school are Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Kiera Knightley) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield). Best friends who stick closely together, their friendship reaches crisis point when romantic feelings occur. With jealousy and betrayal on the cards, this pales into insignificance upon learning the devastating truth of their upbringing. Shocked by their discovery, they attempt to forge an awkward path towards an uncertain future.
Never Let Me Go presents a strange blancmange of ideas. Whilst it’s beautifully shot and acted, the various plot strands never fully gel. This is most likely due to Alex Garland’s screenplay which clumsily re-structures much of Ishiguro’s book. Seemingly gone are the compelling elements needed to engage with our character’s lives as they act out their forlorn dramatics without much sense of urgency. For a story reliant on examining issues of death, young love and making the most of opportunities, this emotional absence is acutely felt.
Director Mark Romanek fails to fully flesh the surrounds in which the characters live. Given that the film’s major twist has a massive impact on their existence it would have been more enriching to see how this also impacts on the outside environs. Little of this is shown and the eagerness in revealing the story’s major twist so early in the piece creates gaping narrative holes throughout. A shame as When Never let Me Go does come alive, it works perfectly but these are far and few between in a film not making much logical sense if examined closely.
Better than most romantic dramas, Never Let Me Go still falls short due to poor scripting. There aren’t many ways in making love triangles interesting, although it gives it a fair effort in a tale of grabbing what one can out of life before time runs out.
Movie Review Rating 6 / 10
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at current movie releases in Australia.
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