Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: “The Island”, “Gattaca”, “Camille”

Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, played respectively by Carey Mulligan ("An Education"), Keira Knightley ("Atonement"), and Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network"), are three students who slowly learn that their lives are anything but ordinary. They were conceived as lab experiments so that their organs can be harvested in due course.

As they learn to accept their fate, a love triangle blossoms between the three friends. Audiences then follow the trio from an idyllic English boarding school to a college work placement community and finally to eventual adulthood. From the very start, Kathy seems to be a great match for Tommy, but her jealous best friend Ruth steals him away. Kathy then becomes the third wheel in the circle, and is forced to endure the pain of watching the love of her life spend the rest of his life with someone else.

The film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro's highly acclaimed novel of the same name, and the screenplay's adapted by Alex Garland ("The Beach", "28 Days Later", "Sunshine"). Director Mark Romanek has only directed one feature before this one; the Robin Williams movie "One Hour Photo" in 2002. But at one point or another it is almost impossible that audiences have not seen his work. Romanek directed Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream" music video, The Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Can't Stop" video and Jay-Z's "99 Problems" video, just to name a few.

The selection of cast is commendable as it is obvious that these are names (with the exception of Knightley) that will be Hollywood A-listers in due time, judging by their previous movie roles and upcoming ones as well. Carey Mulligan delivers a compelling performance as Kathy, the protagonist and narrator guiding the audience as the layers upon layers of her life are gradually revealed. Andrew Garfield the future Spiderman also reveals his versatility by playing an emotionally distraught character that is quietly suffering within himself. Meanwhile Knightley as the envious Ruth does well with her role, but there is not much delivered as she is just slightly over being satisfactory.

With its cast and notable creative team behind the production of this dystopian themed movie, one can only expect it to live up to its hype. Well, fortunately "Never Let Me Go" does impress. Coveted as a better version of "The Island", its amazing portrayal of a futuristic dystopia without extreme sci-fi elements is truly a marvel of a story. As rarely as the dystopian theme is explored in the filmmaking industry, one can only imagine how often one of this good calibre comes along.

Cinema Online, 17 March 2011