Never Let Me Go Film: Analysis & Interpretation

You should be able to make decisions about your life, your happiness and your future. The protagonists of the film «Never Let Me Go» do not have the privilege of self-determination: the young people Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth live with others in the 1970s Clone in a boarding school in Hailsham, England. There they are raised with the fate of one day giving their organs to other people to pass on.

The boarding school is, so to speak, with a farm comparable, on the organs to be cultivated. This should non-cloned People preserve healthy organs in case their own one day stop working. The clones are thus a species life insurance for the people they are modeled after.

«Never Let Me Go» Movie Characters

Here you will learn the most important things about the three main characters Kathy, Ruth and tommy of the film «Never Let Me Go».

Kathy

Kathy is the main character and narrator of the film. She is played by Carey Mulligan. You can see a picture of Kathy and her best friends Tommy and Ruth below.

• 31 years old at the beginning of the film
• supervisor
• Story is told from their point of view
• withdrawn, doesn’t talk much about himself
• avoids confrontations if possible
• harbors romantic feelings for Tommy
• fondly thinks back to her childhood with her best friends Tommy and Ruth in Hailsham

Ruth

Ruth, played by Keira Knightley, is Kathy’s best friend.

• in a relationship with Tommy but does not love him
• lies a lot
• Likes to be the center of attention – unlike Kathy
• still a good person at heart
• regret their actions

tommy

Tommy is also very good friends with Kathy and is portrayed by Andrew Garfield.

• is in a love triangle with Ruth and Kathy; harbors feelings for both
• temperamental and rather uncreative person
• doesn’t understand sarcasm
• feels closer to Kathy than to Ruth

«Never Let Me Go» Movie Summary

The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist Kathy in the form of flashbacks told. On the basis of their stories one learns what everything is in their childhood as well as in adulthood happened. Kathy is now 31 years old, but likes to look back on her childhood with her best friends Tommy and Ruth return to a boarding school in Hailsham, England. The plot begins with Kathy’s childhood in 1978.

childhood in Hailsham

Hailsham is set in beautiful and tranquil countryside, but at the same time very isolated from other places and people. What is initially curious about this boarding school in Hailsham is that the teachers there are referred to as «supervisors».

In addition, the 13 to 16 year old students again and again said they were «special» compared to the «uninteresting» people out there. Despite everything, the students suspect nothing and grow in one sheltered environment where they are well cared for.

The boarding school mainly focuses on the students learning a lot to paint and express yourself creatively. The best pictures are then taken by a mysterious woman named «Madame» collected and in a gallery issued. The students enjoy painting and compete with each other to have their drawings included in the gallery.

In Kathy’s class there is a boy named Tommy who tends to be uncreative and can’t draw, for which he is praised by his classmates bullied becomes. He feels sorry for Kathy, which is why she ends up with him befriended. Kathy is the first person who is really nice to him and Tommy trusts her completely. He also gains Ruth as a friend since she is Kathy’s best friend. The three often do things together. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy will best friends. Although Tommy and Kathy have feelings for each other, Tommy forms a relationship with Ruth.

The students at Hailsham are having a good time together. But that changes when a new supervisor named Lucy comes to the boarding school. She tells the students their fate and gives the real reason why they are being raised in the boarding school: The students are actually clones from other people and should one day bring their organs up to theirs Death donate. As a rule, clones die from donation at the age of 30 years.

Kathy, Tommy and Ruth’s youth in cottages

The three best friends are now around 16 years old and have been married into so-called cottages (Eng. «farm houses») resettled. At their new place of residence, the youngsters meet other clones who tell them about a rumor: Really fell in love Clone couples who can prove their love for each other also reportedly get more time until their first or next organ donation. Tommy is convinced that the gallery and the students’ paintings were there to look into and analyze their souls and feelings.

Meanwhile, Ruth and Tommy’s relationship takes a new turn sexual levelwhereupon Kathy jealous becomes. Kathy’s jealousy triggers the end of her and Ruth’s friendship. As a result, Kathy now feels lonely and decides to have a nurse to become. Carers accompany and support other clones during and after their donations. In return they receive for their work more time until their first donation. Shortly after Kathy left ends also the relationship between Ruth and Tommy.

Around ten years later Kathy still works as a nurse. Thanks to her job meets them Ruth and Tommy againboth through their first donations already very weakened are. Ruth then confesses to Kathy that she only dated Tommy out of fear of being alone. She apologizes for keeping Kathy and Tommy apart for so long, even though she knew they loved each other.

As a sign of her remorse, Ruth has address wanted by Madame, who is rumored to be giving couples in love more time to make their first donation. Shortly thereafter, Ruth dies during her third and last Donation.

Tommy and Kathy finally found each other and are in one relationship. They drive to Madame, who explains to them that giving more time until the next donation is just a rumor and that she cannot help them. Also, Madame reveals that the gallery was not for examining children’s souls, but to find out if they were clones at all have soulsas the following quote shows.

Hailsham boarding school was an attempt by some people to prove that clones are human too human rights to have. From the point of view of human rights activists, «harvesting» the organs is morally and ethically unacceptable.

The attempt to give the clones a decent life, failed and the boarding school at Hailsham was closed. Kathy and Tommy are frustrated and disappointed in the truth. Both know that they don’t have much time left. Tommy dies at his fourth organ donation and leaves Kathy alone.

«Never Let Me Go» Movie – Themes & Motifs

Below you will find out the meaning of the central themes in the film: self-discovery, nostalgia and Friendship.

Self-discovery in the film «Never Let Me Go»

identity and self-discovery play a major role in «Never Let Me Go». The main characters want to know where from they actually come from. That’s why they go in search of their original, from which they were cloned. As the clones grow up, they are still looking for their place in the world.

Also, all the students in Hailsham hold on very strongly to all the little things they once bought at a small flea market when they were at school. All students keep their belongings in a wooden box. For them these are unique Objects that describe their individuality. You can imagine it like this:

There is no concrete example in the film, but you probably know from your own environment that friends consider different objects to be important and attach particular importance to them.

Nostalgia in the movie «Never Let Me Go»

In the movie is the nostalgia is a present topic.

Kathy holds on to the past and is therefore able to faithfully recreate her story. She knows that long life will not wait for her. For this reason, she does not want to make any big plans for the future, as the following quote describes.

Instead, she prefers to indulge in the pastwhere her dearest people Tommy and Ruth are still alive. Her memories, especially of childhood, are one retreat for them, since at that time there was another ideal world ruled.

Kathy also wants her friends alive preserved by always thinking about the past moments in Hailsham. Thereby…