Never Let Me Go

This adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel gathers momentum stealthily, which makes its ultimate emotional heft all the more startling. Kathy (Carey Mulligan) is the odd girl out in a love triangle that includes childhood friends Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley), but the trio is also bound by a shared, pre-ordained destiny---death via systematic organ donation. The movie is set in the recent past, in an alternate universe where medical breakthroughs have led to 100-year lifespans and serious moral questions. Writer Alex Garland and director Mark Romanek leave the answers to the audience, focusing instead on the three leads, whose regret and heartbreak are magnified by the knowledge that they will get no second chances. Anchored by Mulligan’s graceful performance, Never Let Me Go is quietly devastating. –Matt Semansky