It’s one of Stylist’s favourite novels, Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting dystopian story of a generation of clones created purely as organ donors
It’s been a five-year wait to see the story on screen but this faithful and evocatively shot adaptation doesn’t disappoint. Directed by Mark Romanek the film follows Kathy H, Ruth and Tommy, played beautifully by Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightly and Andrew Garfield, as they struggle to come to terms with the meaning of their lives.
The film's extremely faithful to book, capturing both the languid pace and menacing undertone of the trio’s childhood and adolescence. The themes of love, loss and jealousy are all central, and there are only two serious departures from the plot; both Kathy’s promiscuity, and her loss and subsequent recovery of her music tape vanish completely onscreen. The former seems aimed at making her appear more innocent (a mistake in our view) while the latter streamlines a story which allows the film to run for a short and sweet 105 minutes.
The screening opened the London Film Festival, but it won’t get an official release until 11 February 2011. Trust us, it’s worth the wait.
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