Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield

Fans of a book have a hard time adjusting their expectations regarding a film adaptation.

It's not fair to the filmmakers. And yet there it is.

"Never Let Me Go," taken from Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel (which is, I think, very nearly flawless), works on its own terms.

Its unified sense of craft and relentless good taste reflect a series of careful, exacting creative decisions, from the proper chill of the visual tones (Adam Kimmel was cinematographer) to the correctness of the casting. Screenwriter Alex Garland, wisely, was no slave to fidelity to the original in terms of narrative contours; he went his own way with it, stating certain things upfront that Ishiguro held back until the novel's midpoint. Not all the choices work, but they're interesting.

Now: Why isn't it great, like the book? Why is it merely good?

First let's deal with why, and how, it's good, which is difficult enough to achieve with demanding material.

Carey Mulligan narrates the story. She is one of contemporary film's most striking talents, and here she portrays Kathy H., who works as a "carer," overseeing and counseling "donors." (This we see in the first scene.) Most of the film, directed by Mark Romanek, delves into flashbacks to Kathy's younger days at an English boarding school known as Hailsham. There, her companions are Ruth, a rather snippy and manipulative sort played by Keira Knightley, and the young man they both like, in different ways, guileless, hot-tempered but sweet-natured Tommy, played by Andrew Garfield.

Hailsham is a place devoted to the care and protection of its student body, and Romanek prowls its halls and grounds and fundamental purpose with stealthy skill. The script respects the book's three-part structure. At a certain age Kathy, Tommy and Ruth leave the school and live in "The Cottages," after which comes their true mission in life. This relates back to what we learn in the opening minutes of the film, with Kathy the carer gazing through hospital glass.

Romanek's command of the story is undeniable. Charlotte Rampling and Sally Hawkins, playing two very different Hailsham educators, are no less convincing than the central trio.

There is a limitation, however, to Romanek's sense of drama, as was the case with his creepy earlier feature, "One Hour Photo." He's a mood sustainer foremost, and a (fairly subtle) dread peddler. When you add in such elements as Rachel Portman's aggressively fraught musical score, you have a film adaptation that ever-so-artfully piles it on, in a way that novelist Ishiguro (whose earlier works include "The Remains of the Day") never did.

Surely this is a film to give almost anyone pause about national health initiatives, should they come to this. But "Never Let Me Go" concerns a lot more than that.

The film is a success. It works. Greatness eludes it, yes.

But greatness eludes almost every film adaptation of a major novel, which we must remember when confronted by a good one.

 

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"Never Let Me Go" Movie Trailer

 

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MPAA rating: R (for language, some sex and drug content).

Running time: 1:44.

Cast: Carey Mulligan (Kathy); Andrew Garfield (Tommy); Keira Knightley (Ruth); Charlotte Rampling (Miss Emily); Sally Hawkins (Miss Lucy).

Credits: Directed by Mark Romanek; written by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro; produced by Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich. A Fox Searchlight Pictures release.