4. Never Let Me Go (2010) – Directed by Mark Romanek
The plot: Based on what some have called the best book of decade, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel is about Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, three former students of Hailsham, a mysterious boarding school. They have led a seemingly perfect childhood, but as they are coming of age, the three friends discover the haunting reality of their upbringing.
Why the adaptation works: “Love triangles” and “Dystopian society” are very popular themes in both literature and cinema these days. Both themes have become an over-kill – especially when the two themes are combined in a book or film. Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go was an exception to this rule in the world of literature and in 2010, its adaptation became exactly this in the cinematic world.
“Never Let Me Go” differs from other films focusing on the same themes, in its realness. Director Mark Romanek has directed a film that conveys love and friendship in the most realistic way. His directing is not as heavily stylized as, for example, director Joe Wright, but he uses a simple and subtle style that fits the mood of the story perfectly. There is beauty in the grimness of the English countryside and the haunting futures of the main characters and there shines a tragic and enchanting light on the three actors.
Carey Mulligan, who portrays the role of Kathy in “Never Let Me Go,” has swept me and the rest of the cinematic world of our feet since her performance in Lone Scherfig’s “An Education.” A brilliant performance that led to an Oscar-nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role at the age of 25. In “Never Let Me Go,” Mulligan even outdoes the queen of adaptations, Keira Knightley, and that alone is impressive.
