Never Let Me Go (2010)
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In a world where clones are bred as organ donors, three friends navigate a complex love triangle while facing their predetermined fate.
The story
In an alternative history where a medical breakthrough in the 1950s has extended human life, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy grow up at Hailsham, a secluded boarding school. The students are kept isolated from the outside world and are led to believe they are special. However, as they reach adulthood and move to the Cottages, they begin to discover the truth about their existence as clones. The three friends find themselves entangled in a complicated love triangle while grappling with the reality of their purpose as organ donors and the limitations of their lives in a society that views them as different from 'normal' people.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Set in an alternative history, the film follows Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, who were raised at the Hailsham boarding school. They are eventually moved to a farm called the Cottages, where they live as adults and learn they are clones intended for organ donation. The plot follows their evolving relationships and their search for meaning. Ruth, seeking to escape her loneliness, enters a relationship with Tommy, while Kathy develops a deep bond with him. After Ruth dies following multiple donations, Kathy and Tommy attempt to find a 'deferral' from their fate through a mysterious figure named Madame. They eventually learn that deferrals are a myth and that the Gallery was only intended to prove their humanity. The film ends with Tommy's death after his fourth donation, leaving Kathy to face her own fate alone as she reflects on the differences between her life and that of 'normal' people.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mark Romanek
- Writers
- Alex Garland · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Carey Mulligan · Kathy; Keira Knightley · Ruth; Andrew Garfield · Tommy; Ella Purnell · younger version of the story's lead actors; Sally Hawkins · Miss Lucy; Charlotte Rampling · Miss Emily
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction; romantic drama
- Themes
- mortality; humanity; identity; ethics of cloning
- Tone and mood
- melancholic; poignant
- Premise and plot tags
- dystopian; sci-fi; romance; cloning
- Source material / true-story basis
- Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 186; Metacritic · score: 69 · scale: 100 · review count: 37
- Awards and nominations
- Best Score · San Diego Film Critics Society Award · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was originally intended for a premiere at the Venice Film Festival.; The character names are omitted because they are not 'normal' people.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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