In Mark Romanek's parallel England, it's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all; even the most callously truncated life is precious when stuffed with feeling. Ruth (Keira Knightley), Kathy (Carey Mulligan) and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) grow up (played, respectively, by Ella Purnell, Isobel Meikle-Small and Charlie Rowe) at Hailsham, a ‘special' English boarding school. When their pre-ordained lives intersect again a decade later, they seize fresh chances to be together.

When I saw this, I'd just finished its delicate, elliptical source novel. At first the film left me cold; I felt Alex Garland's screenplay had shoehorned the book's complex metaphors into a straightforward coming-of-age love triangle. Some scenes' significance is under-explained; others are too obvious. And some are played quite differently - crucially, the '50s torch song that gives the film its title, which Kathy owns on cassette.

Slowly I've come around to it. Romanek creates a beautiful, very English mood of wistful, stoical nostalgia using a palette of greys and greens, suffused in milky light. He's great at capturing facial expressions and meaningful gestures, and Meikle-Small, Mulligan and Garfield all give subtle, evocative performances. Even the insufferable Knightley is not too bad here. by Mel Campbell.


What:
Never Let Me Go

When:
In cinemas from March 31

Watch Trailer:
Here

Win:
Thanks to Fox, we have 5 dbls to give away! To enter, email us your postal address with the subject line ‘You poor creatures' Email address is brisbane.win@rightanglestudio.com.au