Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go may have been released at the beginning of 2011 but it remains one of my favourite movies of 2011 - so much so it has made it to number 5 in our countdown of the best movies of the year.
Mark Romanek has produced a very beautiful and powerful movie that stays with you long after the credits roll.
Set in almost an alternate reality of England during the fifties medical technology has found a way to banish sickness and prolong human life - but it comes with a sacrifice.
Only a viewer with a heart of stone with be unmoved by this sad tale as Romanek has brought a far more emotional movie to the big screen than Michael Bay did with The Island - which basically tackles the same subject.
At it's core Never Let Me Go is a tale of morality and a question of what is right and wrong. Do Ruth, Tommy and Kathy have the right to decide on their own future? Should they just accept their fate? And is this type of medicine ever acceptable?
This movie is a very thought provoking picture that leaves you with a few questions of your own.
It is an incredibly faithful adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's popular novel as it beautifully coveys the ideas and themes of the book with some really powerful moments.
While the script is powerful and moving and the cinematography very beautiful - the washed up boat on the beach being a particularly haunting moment - the movie hinges on the three central performances.
Knightley, Mulligan and Garfield are superb as Ruth, Kathy and Tommy as they try to make the best of their short lives and come to terms with what the future holds for them.
Knightley is cold and calculated as she muscles in on Kathy and Tommy's blossoming childhood romance to steal Tommy for herself.
However Knightley plays Ruth in a way that doesn't make her unlikable - in fact you feel nothing but sympathy towards this character as she struggle to deal with her fate.
Garfield is awkward and self conscious but his chemistry with Mulligan is gripping, particularly as the movie progresses.
But it's Mulligan who really excels as the more mature Kathy - who always find herself playing second fiddle to Ruth.
Mulligan's final scenes and her controlled emotion is just heart wrenching once again demonstrating what a fine acting talent that she is.
If you haven't seen this movie yet then you really should check it out as it is a haunting drama that poses some very hard hitting questions.
This is by far one of the best book adaptations to grace the big screen this year, while there has been artistic license taken by the director - the essence and heart of this extraordinary book have not been lost
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw