Eye Candy #515 - "Never Let Me Go"

Never Let Me Go:  Based on the book of the same name, this is another bleak dystopian view of the future, though not as pronounced as most (I.e. none of the usual sci-fi trappings).  And while the premise is “science fiction”, it doesn’t feel like a “sci-fi picture”.  Very similar plot-wise as 2005‘s “The Island” (which came across mostly as a retread of “Logan‘s Run“), this film is a better constructed and acted film, about a present era where human beings have been grown since the 1950’s for the sole purpose of harvesting organs to sustain the health of the rest of humanity.  Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightly, and Carey Mulligan are Tommy, Ruth, and Kathy, three products of the system, trying to live life when it has been proscribed fatally for them by a society that considers them “things“ rather than beings, regardless of any proof to the contrary.  And rather than devolve into some simplistic chase picture as they try to avoid their fate, “Never Let Me Go” takes great pains to establish the humanity of the trio, as they love, lose, and hope, with a palpable emotional punch for the viewer.  So if you were expecting an edge-of-your-seat thriller, you will be disappointed.  Only the second feature film of director Mark Romanek (who gave us the equally good “One Hour Photo”).  Woodchuck sez, “Me likey.”