What Do The Critics Say?

"Driven by terrific lead performances, this achingly beautiful work challenges audiences emotionally and intellectually. Romanek makes no wrong moves with this superb film. Most impressive is Romanek's balancing act. Never Let Me Go is a story about serious ideas, and the filmmaker weighs and equalises the emotive human drama side: the love story; with the film's more thought-provoking concerns." Annette Basile FILMINK "This is a skewed take on the present, not some future-imperfect Britain we might currently be lurching towards, though there’s a sense that these events aren’t really so fanciful. Achingly sad at times, with outstanding performances, it avoids tedious dissection of the issues it raises, making for a careful, delicate meditation on the value and fleeting nature of time and human life." Anne Wollenberg SFX MAGAZINE "You just don't see a lot of love triangles that also serve as dystopian visions. I'm not necessarily advocating for more, but the combination of social anguish and dark chill in Never Let Me Go packs a quietly devastating punch. The combination of social anguish and dark chill in Never Let Me Go packs a quietly devastating punch." Chris Vognar DALLAS MORNING NEWS "With its devastating issues about life, death and worth, this is quite a sobering film. As the story grips and we begin to understand the finality of the predicament in which the characters are placed, in fact, desperation sets in. Winning every main category in the British Independent film awards is no surprise. An artistic film with profound themes and an opportunity to shine for actors, screenwriter and director alike. I am purposely keeping my comments general as it is more effective to discover the secrets of Hailsham, The Cottages and the venues for Completion in the context of the story as it unfolds." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "It is a film almost unremittingly hopeless in its cruel finality, packing a crucial emotional punch, ending with a chilling monologue that reminds us of the tale's universality. The real kicker is the tense epilogue in which everything is to be played for, arriving at a few more disturbing truths, anchored by Rachel Portman’s haunting, wonderful score. Vague and restrained but quietly sinister and wonderfully acted." Shaun Munro OBSESSED WITH FILM

"I am told by Ishiguro fans that only stone-hearted people fail to weep at the tale's outcome on the page. The film, by its form's nature, puts too much reality before us. The story is preposterous and unbelievable. Nice attempt, director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) and team. Now I’ll try the book." Nigel Andrews FINANCIAL TIMES "Mulligan is the lynchpin of this film; her doe-eyed softness and melancholy smile perfectly encapsulating our heroine." Nick Deigman FAN THE FIRE "Technically speaking, Mark Romanek’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is a gorgeous production. Impeccably acted, with nuanced performances by beautiful actors. The cinematography is stunning. In the clever screenplay, by Alex Garfield, revelations simultaneously illuminate both the characters on the screen and the audience. Yet, at the film’s conclusion, I realized that I had not been moved by the story. An impeccably told story that failed to break my heart." Marcy Dermansky ABOUT.COM "Exquisitely acted. And depressing. It's romantic, profound and superbly crafted, shot with the self-contained radiance of a snow globe. And it's depressing. Mulligan and Garfield, young stars with old souls, display a knowing sweetness that gives "Never Let Me Go" its broken heart." Amy Biancolli HOUSTON CHRONICLES "Strikingly shot with gorgeous cinematography from Adam Kimmel. Superbly written and powerfully emotional, this is a haunting, sci-fi tinged drama with terrific performances from both the three leads and the child actors playing their younger selves. Carey Mulligan and Isobel Meikle-Small are both terrific." Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON "Lovely and melancholy, poignant and chilling, Never Let Me Go is an old school sci-fi dystopia with lovely, wistful performances that never quite overcome the fatalism that hangs over the whole affair. The trio of fine young actors make NLMG work. There are no highs in this film, no levity or thrills." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL

The Inside Story Are we in control of our destiny? Do we live for ourselves or for other people? What makes us human? These jolting and engaging questions lie at the heart of "Never let Me Go", the screen adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s internationally acclaimed masterpiece: which begins in the deceptively simple setting of an isolated English boarding school; yet builds to become a vast and profoundly emotional tale about love and betrayal, hope and sacrifice, mortality and destiny. When it was first published in 2005, Ishiguro’s taut and unforgettably haunting novel was celebrated by many critics as one of the best of the decade. The story was on one level a suspenseful, surprising portrait of a world in which humanity has learned to clone itself, and on another level an intimate, tangled love triangle between three childhood friends. Kazuo Ishiguro has long been fascinated by interlocking themes of love, loss, dignity, duty, sacrifice, memory and the creation of the self we show the world and the world in turn has been fascinated with Ishiguro’s storytelling. He has received an extraordinary four Man Booker Prize nominations, been named one of the "50 greatest British novelists of all time" by The Times of London and garnered numerous literary awards and accolades, in a career that is still very much in its prime. His novels include the Booker Prize-winning "The Remains of the Day": about the quiet unraveling of the perfect English butler in post-war England (later adapted into the sumptuous Merchant-Ivory film starring 1993 David di Donatello Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson); as well as "A Pale View of the Hills", "An Artist of the Floating World", "The Unconsoled" and "When We Were Orphans". But Ishiguro’s sixth and most recent novel, "Never Let Me Go", took his explorations of the human self into an entirely new realm. Surprising his fans and critics, he created a kind of literary sci-fi fable, set in an alternate world of life in 1990s England when a scientific process prepares youngsters at a remote boarding school for a harrowingly unexpected fate when they come of age. Narrated by the ordinary-seeming Kathy, the novel reveals, drop by drop, scene by scene, the full weight of her own origins and the truth of the all too rapidly approaching destiny she and her friends will face with despair, but also with a sense of prevailing duty and an increasing devotion to one another. A book of such lasting impact and influence certainly seemed destined for the screen. That feat came together via the teaming of the literary mind of British screenwriter and novelist Alex Garland ("28 Days Later" & "Sunshine") and the visual artistry of film director Mark Romanek. Garland, in fact, couldn’t help but dare to dream of it on the screen. They approached "Never Let Me Go" as Ishiguro had, as a story not so much about science fiction but one about human fragility. "Many science-fiction films are about attempts to escape from some oppressive government or the like, but in our film, the opposite is true. These characters don't escape because they've been taught since birth to feel a sense of pride and duty about their place in this alternate society, terrible though it may be. Also, they don’t run, in part because there is nowhere to go. The film is about the urgency of embracing the people you love in the moment because time is so short. With "Never let Me Go", I wanted to make an unashamedly beautiful and un-ironic film. Our hope was to sweep audiences into the world Ishiguro created. It was especially important to me that the film be romantic, and an aesthetically pleasing experience, because the truth that this film explores is a bittersweet one," Romanek ("One Hour Photo") explained. Not long after he received Ishiguro’s blessings, Garland took the book in its proof form to producers Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich at the leading British production company DNA Films, who earlier produced the motion picture adaptation of his novel, "The Beach", as well as his original screenplays "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine", all directed by 2009 Oscar winner Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"). Macdonald and Reich were immediately taken in. "The story of "Never let Me Go" is incredibly moving," Macdonald says. "It is very different from anything I’ve been involved with before. This is a tragic love story at its heart. Yet, you have no idea what is going to happen to the characters and when you find out you are left forever haunted by their fate." "There is something very specific and quite extraordinary about the world Ishiguro creates in his books. The control of narrative and the control of the voice in "Never let Me Go" is quite astonishing. When Alex came to us saying he had a real notion of how to adapt it, that was a perfect reason to get involved. That hunch paid off. Alex then brought us a beautifully subtle adaptations. Compressing a book like this into a one hundred page screenplay while remaining faithful to its spirit is incredibly difficult, but he made it work," Reich notes. When it came to visualizing the world Kazuo Ishiguro O.B.E. created in "Never Let Me Go", the producers faced another challenge: finding a director who could bring a visual poetry and elegance to the eerie, melancholy, yet often lovely, world Ishiguro had created on the page. Then, out of the blue, they were contacted by American film director Mark Romanek, an Ishiguro fan who had already fallen in love with the novel. Romanek took the producers by surprise. He had emerged out of the creative worlds of music videos and commercials, then made his breakthrough with the acclaimed feature "One Hour Photo", which starred Robin Williams as an obsessive photo processor. "I had a powerful and strange reaction to this story, which I felt was so daring and beautiful. I could not stop thinking about it and I began to dream about making it into a movie. Romanek was also thrilled by Garland’s adaptation. "It was a really deft, intelligent distillation of the complex ideas and emotion of the book. "Just as I had at the end of the book, I wept at the end of the script. Alex writes in a very minimalist mode. This script was very lean and direct, and that was exciting because this script felt like it was just waiting for a filmmaker to put flesh on its bones." That process would turn Romanek’s initial dreams of the movie into reality. Putting flesh on the bones of the book first meant finding actors who could bring the story’s three unusual main characters to life. Though they have been conceived for a seemingly inhuman outcome, the characters had to come across as poignantly real people who find themselves in the midst of a torrid love triangle as they move from the innocence of childhood to the overwhelming knowledge of their adult fortunes. "The most important thing was to find actors who had a deep affinity for these characters and for the book," says Romanek. "To do this, we auditioned many of the most gifted young actors in England." For the role of Kathy. the team chose rising star Carey Mulligan ("An Education" & "WallStreet 2: Money Never Sleeps"). "I hope that in the storytelling, the warmth of these characters and how they feel about each other really comes across," the 2009 & '10 British Independent Film Award winner says. "You have Kathy, who turns out to be so strong after all she has seen and dealt with; you have Tommy, who in some ways is the only one of the three main characters to have a reasonable response to the horror of their situation; and then you have Ruth, who is so human and so frail, I can’t help but sympathize with her." Kathy’s relationship with her best female friend Ruth is far more fraught with complications, as Ruth’s youthful betrayal nearly shatters the brief and only chance Kathy will ever have at love. Keira Knightley, one of England’s most sought-after leading ladies and one who has established a distinctively literary pedigree was cast as Ruth. Both lead actresses has previously appeared together in 2005's "Pride & Prejudice": Knightley as Elizabeth Bennett and Mulligan as her sister Kitty Bennet. Knightley (Vera in "The Edge of Love") admits that it took some doing to get inside Ruth’s conflicted heart. "When I first read the script I judged Ruth very harshly. But that’s what made my job so interesting. Ultimately, I came to see Ruth’s actions as coming out of growing up without parents and not really ever having the love she needed." "Carey and Keira being friends in real life brought that tangible sense of closeness to their performances. I don’t think two actresses who were strangers, no matter how good, could have replicated that in that same way," Romanek stated. Completing the triangle that begins at the Hailsham boarding school and comes to a head years later is Tommy, the sensitive boy given to emotional outbursts and the only one of three who dares, even for a moment, to imagine breaking away from what the Hailsham students are being trained to do in the real world. To play him, the filmmakers took a chance on a young actor just coming into his own: Andrew Garfield. "Andrew was one of the first people who read for Tommy and as soon as we saw him, it was just obvious," Reich ("28 Weeks Later") recalls. Romanek agrees: "He brings a sensitivity and originality to how he approaches things, which means he's always watchable and surprising." Garfield ("Lions for Lambs" & "The Social Network"), who had already read and fallen in love with the novel, confessed it was a major honor to play Tommy. "To me, it was a huge responsibility to attempt to portray the Tommy that Ishiguro has created." For Romanek, the trio of Mulligan, Knightley and Garfield added up to more than the already substantial sum of their parts. "They would continually stun me with the emotional intelligence that they brought to their roles, and yet would always approach their work with a sense of fun and lightness. Together they gave everything to make this story as engrossing and meaningful as possible. They don't just say the lines. These actors create works of art, which is astonishing given their age. The filmmakers next turned their attention to finding three very young actors to play Kathy, Ruth and Tommy as children, when they first bond at Hailsham. Casting the trio’s childhood counterparts proved to be even trickier than casting the adults. The field was narrowed to three remarkable newcomers: thirteen year old Isobel Meikle-Small of Brighton was cast to play young Kathy; twelve year old Ella Purnell of London to play young Ruth; and thirteen year old Charlie Rowe as the younger Tommy. To make a palpable connection between each character’s childhood and adult selves, Romanek asked the three pairs: Carey and Isobel, Keira and Ella, and Andrew and Charlie; to spend as much time as possible together before and during production. "They all just hung out and really got to know each other. In this way, the younger actors began to pick up the mannerisms of the older actors and vice versa. They talked about life and acting, and I think they learned a lot from one another." Finally, what are Ishiguro's hopes for the film? "I hope audiences start off thinking this is a strange, eerie film about peculiar people; but as the film goes on, I hope they see it is a story about all of us." What's It All About?

Set in a world where life expectancy has reached one hundred and all diseases can be cured, the film begins in 1994, with Kathy H, a woman in her 30s, recalling her childhood years at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic yet not quite right English boarding school, where she grew up with her best friends Ruth and Tommy. They're told by the headmistress that they're different, and before long we discover what their special purpose might be. As children, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy learn the dark secret about their place in the world when a kindly teacher decides to tell them the truth: The students at stately Hailsham, are kept in line with dark tales while being groomed for something special. When they turn 18, the three friends move to a community called The Cottages. Their first contact with the outside world lacks preparedness. Their friendship is soon threatened by deep feelings of love and jealousy.

The Verdict While the storyline is one which offers no hope for Kathy, Ruth or Tommy, there is much to praise in "Never Let Me Go". Those who play the young children at Hailsham (Ham House, a 17th Century Stuart mansion on the banks of the River Thames) and those who portray their grow-up equivilents are to be commended for grapsing the essence of what Ishiguro instilled into his novel. Director Mark Romanek had his adult actors (Mulligan, Knightley and soon to be Spider-Man, Garfield, bring in pictures of themselves as kids, which were displayed during the casting sessions. He then paired them up with newcomer Meikle-Small, Ella Purnell (who, in a spooky twist, made her debut as Kayleigh in "Ways To Live Forever") and Charlie Rowe ("The Golden Compass") and asked them to hang out as much as possible. Because of the focus on the grown-up side of the story, it would be easy to overlook the contribution the youngsters make to the film. The mood of what, appears to be childhood innocence at Hailsham, soon sets off alarm bells. Fear is used to keep them contained within the boundaries of the school. Upon reaching eighteen years of age, they transfer to 'The Cottages'. Here there are chilling hints as to what the future now has instore for them. Words such as 'donor', carer' and 'deferral' reveal the truth as to what their absolute purpose in life is. It's an emotive journey. It's a 'no light at the end of the tunnel story'. It is dark. So what is the films attraction? Its innocence. Its abillity to instil a longing that swells in your heart. And, a great hope that they won't go the way of those who came before them. "Never Let Me go" didn't make me cry, but you might. See the film, read the book. Allen & Unwin Film Tie-in version available instore now. Hauntingly beautiful! 4 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Carey Mulligan Keira Knightley Andrew Garfield Isobel Meikle-Small Charlie Rowe Ella Purnell Charlotte Rampling Sally Hawkins Kate Bowes Renna Hannah Sharp Christina Carrafiell Oliver Parsons Luke Bryant Fidelis Morgan Damien Thomas Nathalie Richard

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Kathy Ruth Tommy Young Kathy Young Tommy Young Ruth Miss Emily Miss Lucy Miss Geraldine Amanda Laurs Arthur David Matron Doctor Madame

The Production Team Directed by Mark Romanek Adapted from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro Screenplay by Alex Garland Produced by Andrew Macdonald & Allon Reich Original Music by Rachel Portman Cinematography by Adam Kimmel Film Editing by Barney Pilling Casting by Kate Dowd Production Design by Mark Digby Art Direction by Paul Cripps Supervising Art Director Denis Schnegg Set Decoration by Michelle Day Costume Design by Rachael Fleming & Steven Noble Run Time 104 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Fox Searchlight Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2011 - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.