IMDB: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%(critics), 70%(audience)
Roger Ebert: 4/4 stars
Stars: Keira Knightly, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield
Written By: Kazuo Ishiguro(novel), Alex Garland(screenplay)
Directed By: Mark Romanek
Release Date: 25 November 2010
Described by IMDB as: "As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow into young adults, they find that they have to come to terms with the strength of the love they feel for each other, while preparing themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them."
*This Review contains some small Spoilers*
Is it wrong to call a little girl a evil? Because I feel just about nothing else for young Ruth(Ella Purnell) in the film. I feel only absolute heartbreak for young Kathy (Isobel Meikle-Small), who, by the way, was amazingly casted as she looks unbelievably like adult Kathy(Carey Mulligan). I would probably say the same for both young Tommy(Charlie Rowe) and adult Tommy(Andrew Garfield). Besides the fact that they casted well for common looks, Knightly, Mulligan, and Garfield are some of the best young actors from the UK at the moment, if not THE best. They all have very impressive resumes, and although at the time Andrew Garfield was probably a slightly unknown name (despite the success of The Social Network), he's obviously now known for his role as Spiderman in the new film The Amazing Spiderman.
I'm surprised this isn't a more popular film, as I stumbled upon it by accident, not because I'd heard anything about it, because everyone loves a good love story, especially a tragic one. Although, its a pretty difficult story as well. It is incredibly heartbreaking from the moment you find out what their entire role in life is. I also love how interesting and unique this story is. I mean, there have been movies where there have been people created for the sole purpose of being organ donors(like The Island), but none that show that they were raised from children, it wasn't a crazy action film, it was a calm, sad story focusing on both their childhood and growing up from there. Its also sort of funny that the saddest part of the film is not that their being farmed for organs, but the sheer dispair you feel for Kathy H(Mulligan) when you see the boy she loves being taken from under her nose.
I suppose another reason why its another difficult movie for people to watch is the real question of morales that obviously have to be brought up. Is it morally sound to bring children into the world, isolate them from society, and raise them knowing the whole time that none of them will make it past their mid-twenties because they will all be farmed for their organs once they hit a certain age. How far are people willing to go to stay alive a bit longer? How many people would be ok with knowing that their organs are coming from people who are going to be born and raised for the sole reason of giving up their organs, not having a life, but just living long enough to be able to go through 1-4 surgeries, depending on how strong they are.
I've seen this film a couple of times now and I adore it every time. I'd recommend it to basically anyone, but only a person who can handle a sad film will enjoy this film. Its not a comedy, its not a romance film, it is an extremely tragic story about love and loss.
I'll gladly give it a 9/10. It's definitely one of my all-time favorites.
IMDB: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Roger Ebert: 4/4 Stars
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson.
Written By: Nick Hornby(screenplay), Lynn Barbor(memoir)
Directed By: Lone Scherfig
Release Date: 8 October 2009
Described by IMDB as: "In the early 1960's, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father's wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny is bright, pretty, hard working but also naturally gifted. The only problems her father may perceive in her life is her issue with learning Latin, and her dating a boy named Graham, who is nice but socially awkward. Jenny's life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David's relationship does move into becoming a romantic one.."
I saw this film a year or so ago and I adored it, and so began my lady-crush with Carey Mulligan. She's done a few amazing films besides this one including Never Let Me Go(which I'm actually watching right now) as well as Shame, Drive, Pride & Prejudice, Public Enemies, and Brothers. I mean really, how many young actresses have that amazing of a resume? Its such an odd film really, an older man seduces a 16 year old school girl, but theres something charming in it. I think its because most girls feel like they want something bigger and better in their lives, I know I do. Who doesn't want a romantic trip to Paris for their 17th birthday? I sure did. Unfortunately it doesn't end well, which I'm sure couldn't possibly be a spoiler, because who, while watching this film, thought "Oh yes, this will work out wonderfully for Jenny(Mulligan) and her con-artist, old-man, boyfriend."
It starts off with a young girl named Jenny(Mulligan) who is stuck in a boring, pressure-filled life with her mother and father, who only want her to focus on her school and her Latin so she can get into Oxford. She's doing just that, when she meets David(Peter Sarsgaard). He seduces Jenny and her parents surprisingly easily. And they go out to a concert with his friends Danny(Dominic Cooper) and Helen(Rosamund Pike) and the story develops from there. They go on various trips where she discovers some things about David(Sarsgaard) that she's not happy about, but he somehow manages to convince Jenny to forget about it. This charade keeps up until she realizes, almost too late, that she has made a mistake with him. She then has to figure out if she has lost everything, or if she has enough time to life the life she always wanted, or if she's too late.
Its almost horrifying that this film was based on a true story from a memoir written by Lynn Barbor. I mean, there's no murder or anything, its just it seems as though there were so few options for women back in the 60's, and to think it was almost all over for her is just heartbreaking. I'm trying desperately not to give too much about this film away, because I think everyone should see it, and I really don't know what else to say about it without giving the whole plot away to be honest.
I think all there's really left to say is that the reason this film gets me so much is that when you're 16 it seems incredibly possible for something like this to happen, for you to be tricked into something you don't understand. Especially by a man who can give you everything you've ever dreamed of, the music, the travel, the glamour. If this happened in real life exactly the way it happened in the film, I can't help but think that this was almost entirely on the fault of Jenny's(Mulligan) parents. Young girls make mistaks, and lie to their parents. Adults are supposed to know better, and protect them from stupid mistakes, and bad people.
I really love this film, so I'm giving it a 9/10. Definitely worth the Oscar Nominations for Best picture and best actress for Carey Mulligan. Bravo.
