Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro: My Quick Take on the Movie starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightly

Sigh. I was so excited to see that red Netflix envelope in my mailbox. And I was soooo looking forward to seeing this! I know some people think it is a fantastic film, not sure if this is in reference to how it reads as a book or not.  I was seriously disappointed in this movie though because for me it was just okay. It was incredibly slow which I expected (and don't usually mind) having read the book but it seemed to take its time in all the wrong places.
The cast is pretty darn fabulous - I think Carey Mulligan is always amazing in how subtle and nuanced her performances are - but in this one, where everyone's emotions tend to be so levelled, I just wanted a little more outward expressiveness. Kathy's character never does, that placidity making her a great carer of course! In contrast, Andrew Garfield as Tommy and Keira Knightly as Ruth do get to have some emotions. I would have like to see a stronger reaction to Ruth's confession that she's kept them apart; Tommy's explosive outburst near the end when we all realized nothing will change is a depressing admission that any hopes and dreams Tommy and Kathy might have had are dashed, done, kaput!

I wish the film had spent a bit more time at Hailsham; I thought the casting for the young Kathy was quite brilliant and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that play between the characters. Ultimately? Beautiful to look at but slow and depressing.

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