Never Let Me Go.

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel, the film Never Let Me Go had seemed promising having been declared as "the most haunting film about love and death I've ever seen" by one Daily Mail reporter. Haunting, it certainly was.
Directed by Mark Romanek (of One Hour Photo fame) the film traces the lives of three young "donors" who struggle to come to terms with love, jealousy, ageing, morality, and mortality in their very short lives. The character's lives are normal in the way that they live out human emotions and motions, just in a more intense and microcosmic manner. As a result of this, the film reminds you of the fleeting time we have on this earth and forces the audience to question their use of these precious years. You could argue that viewing Never Let Me Go will result in one of two conclusions: it could have a rather uplifting effect, or, in the most likely of cases, it could leave you utterly depressed. The film is a heavy one, filled with haunting images of trees in barren fields, a shipwreck on an empty beach, and an emaciated man screaming into darkness. Although brilliantly acted (Keira Nightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield are spectacular) the film does not seem to come to a natural conclusion and ends on the rather unsettling statement, posed by Mulligan as protagonist Kathy, 'maybe none of us really understands what we've lived through, or feels we've had enough time'.

Mulligan, Knightley, and Garfield explore a love triangle with a delicate and poignant approach - the question of why they accepted their fate with such subservience however, remains unanswered.

Overall, it is clear that Romanek had not intended for Never Let Me Go to be easy or comfortable viewing. The cinematography is devastatingly beautiful and the screenplay, written by Alex Garland, stays true to the novel, allowing us to believe that the harrowing events which take place in the lives of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are possible. It is perhaps because of this believability, the very human and relatable characters, and the natural dialogue, that the film has such a profound impact.

Never Let Me Go will leave you unsettled, unnerved and uncomfortable. It will force you to question your own attitudes towards life and love; the problem is whether or not you want to answer those questions.

2011 - A Promising Start.



Although only three months in, 2011 has so far proven to be an excellent year for film. Heavyweight directors such as Darren Aronofksy, and Tom Hooper enjoyed phenomenal success with films Black Swan and The King's Speech - two films which, after weeks fighting for the top spot at the Box Office, have reportedly made over $471.1 million between them. The film awards season also celebrated the success of David Fincher's The Social Network - a film which triumphed over the difficult task of having to balanc

e spanning the exponential success of new social media websites whilst exploring themes of Shakespearean proportions in a story of friendship, betrayal, jealousy, success, and love. 

Jesse Eisenberg was able to stretch his legs in the challenging
role of Facebook (co)founder Mark Zuckerburg. Eisenberg, who we
are used to seeing as awkward teen typecasts in Indie films such
as Wonderland and The Squid and The Whale. His performance
as Zuckerburg was, however, convincing and compelling.

True Grit, the most successful remake of the year, has launched the career of unknown Hailee Steinfeld whose role as Mattie Ross saw her nominated for a number of Best Supporting Actress Awards throughout 2011, including; BAFTA Award, Phoenix Film Critics Society Award, and Academy Award. Alongside the remakes of Western classics, a new venture to be celebrated in 2011 was the growing popularity of one-man films. Actors such as James Franco faced the challenge of sustaining audience interest for hours - Franco took on the true story of  Aron Ralston in a performance which was reminiscent of 2010's unsettling thriller Buried. The performance, although unnerving and (at many points) bizarrely uplifting, resulted in six Oscar nominations - a testament to the high standard of acting sustained by Franco throughout the full 94 minutes.



Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan was both beautiful
and unsettling - the year spent training to become a Prima
Ballerina paid off as her dedication to the role shone through.





2011 has also seen the spiralling demand for 3D productions. After the unchallenged success of James Cameron's Avatar, the 3D filming industry has perhaps grown out of control as cartoon toys, action sequences, dancing, and now even operatic productions, are shot in high-definition 3D. There is arguably something unsettling about sitting down to watch a film, only to have the shots thrust in your face - not quite the relaxing experience I am used to. In certain cases (viewers of Piranha 3D, in particular, will surely agree) the directors seem to have gone out of their way to produce shots which are made purely for enjoyment in 3D which, to those of us who are happy to stick to our original flat screen viewing, seem forced and unnatural.

Alongside these phenomenal film successes, it seems that with many exciting new sequels and remakes (such as Cars 2, Halloween 3, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) to come, 2011 promises to be a very exciting year for cinema.