Never Let Me Go

With Harry Potter and Co. set to invade the American box office in November, there are sure to be many who miss out on the other superb fall films from our friends across the pond. One of those, Never Let Me Go, superbly cultivates meditations on birth, death and our entire human existence.

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s fiction masterpiece of the same name, Never Let Me Go follows Kathy (Carey Mulligan) and her two friends (Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley) through their ill-fated, lambs-for-the-slaughter lives. They grapple with the dawning realization that their lives at boarding school and beyond are simply ploys for them to grow into “donors:” Their organs will be harvested until they “complete.” Told through frighteningly jarring images and situations, the film interweaves their stories of love, betrayal and suffering as they struggle against the inevitability of their short existences.

Director Mark Romanek shows his prowess through suggestive imagery and dialogue, never telling the viewer the whole truth. Replete with subtle reminders of their ultimate destinies, the film forces the viewer into the position of the characters: We know the final outcome, but we can never be completely sure. This only serves to make the film’s dramatic moments all the more potent. One scene towards the end is probably the most disturbing scene since the stabbing at the end of Saving Private Ryan; I can’t tell you the last time I had to look away from the screen because of how an image affronted my own humanity. On top of that, Mulligan’s outstanding lead performance, backed by a gorgeously muted color scheme, drives the film forward to its painful conclusion.

Although Knightley’s uncharacteristically average performance—at least in comparison to Mulligan’s­—and the depressing content hamper the film, Never Let Me Go succeeds in creating and drawing the viewer into its bitter world, enveloping us completely. This Oscar-worthy film deserves both your viewing and your introspection.