Review of Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go is not quite the film it promises. If you are to believe the press it is a story of never-ending love full of romance and heartbreak. And while the film does contain these themes, they are quite shallow in their representation and their believability is stretched.

Carey Mulligan is fabulous as Cathy H, a donor in love with her childhood friend, Tommy (Andrew Garfield). Keira Knightly tops up the cast as irritating best friend, Ruth, who steal Tommy away from Cathy at an early age.

The film’s setting in an alternate world where children are bred to donate organs is deeply unsettling and the movie’s strong point. The moments that work best are those in which either the children are learning about their own destiny, or the adult versions are face to face with it. Through Cathy, who takes on the role of carer of fellow donors, we see the terrible reality of their short-lived lives. And when she meets Ruth and Tommy after 10 years apart and they have both started donating, the tragedy does hit deep.

It is therefore a shame that the love story, and the relationship between the three leads, falls short in quality. The portion where the characters are young and at school is flawless, drawing the links between the three carefully and with aplomb. It is when they turn into adults that things become strained. Cathy is still clearly very much in love with Tommy and remains so and this is where the love story works. However, Tommy has been in a relationship with Ruth for 10 years, and there are little, if any, signs that he is in love with Cathy. Yet despite this, we are expected to view their reunion after many years as joyous and a triumph for never-ending true love. Er, I don’t think so. If he did really love her why spend 10 years sleeping with her best friend (how the two are best friends is also unclear - they do not actually seem to get on at all) and then not trying to find her when she moves away?

So, a film and story which could have been delivered in a painfully poignant way exploring love and loss and ethical dilemmas, is merely a slow and somewhat pedestrian romance. Maybe the book is better.