I recently saw Mark Romanek's "Never Let Me Go", an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's eponymous novel. The film stars Carey Mulligan (of "An Education" excellence), Keira Knightley, and Andrew Garfield (a.k.a. the new Peter Parker), as three friends entwined in a love triangle in a world similar but not quite identical to our own. The story is one of the most beautiful and lyrical explorations of the meaning of mortality that I have ever seen.
I would not want to spoil the magically poetic mystery of the film by further detailing its plot, so I will comment on what may be appreciated to some extent without seeing the film at all. The aesthetics are exquisite. The subdued pastoral richness of the English countryside makes this a perfect fall (or somber spring) film. The look of the film from the trailer alone (see video below) inspired me to see it as soon as it became available to me. I was not disappointed by any aspect of "Never Let Me Go" when I did see it, in terms of story or production design.
Speaking of such, I must divulge the real purpose of bringing it up at all on this blog. Since my ideal discussion of the film would reveal to my mother (who may or may not read this blog) what the story is all about, I cannot go down that path. However, I will say in the interests of this blog that I adored (read: positively adored) the fashions in the film. While the story occurs in a time span that reaches from the 1970's til more or less the present day, the costume design is timeless and hard to place. Are they dressing in the 1930's? The 1960's? It is hard to say, and hardly matters, as the cut and colours and styling are all blissfully exquisite.
The colours are spot-on autumnal: greens, browns, and burgundies. The fabrics are quiet, rich wools and tweeds. There are pleats and tights and dainty leather footwear fully appropriate for a melancholic jaunt to the misty green grounds of the English countryside. The hair is vintage and matter-of-fact but mussed in a disgruntled romantic style, wholly charming. There is a particular trench-coat Mulligan's character wears in the latter half of the film that may be Burberry or may just be evocative of the essence of Burberry. Either way, it is a dream.
The world of "Never Let Me Go" has the potential to be bleak and sterile, but the fabrics and colours of the costumes alone, let alone their aristocratically bucolic setting, set this film apart from others of its genre. It is a film removed from our own world, and yet it fully elicits appreciation and understanding of our own reality.
