Never Let Me Go
This movie exemplifies the payoff of going into a film with an entirely blank slate. I knew nothing about the plot or characters and ended up being completely surprised at what my eyes beheld.
The alternate reality is presented with such subtlety that I questioned my own. Audiences are fools, and because of this filmmakers are often forced to explain every little thing, stripping both meaning and impact.
There is one scene that borders on heavy-handed; the first big reveal, as it were. But then, it was warm and brutal, which encompasses the very essence of the film. Nothing could be more appropriate for the moment when you are told what is happening.
One might ask questions about why things are the way they are or why the characters don’t make different decisions but that would be missing the entire point. It is the world in which they live. That is their reality. There is nothing else.
