Film REVIEWS
DRAMA/ROMANCE NEVER LET ME GO (12A) 103min ●●●●●
The students of Hailsham boarding school are special: set apart from normal society, they are being prepared for an unspecified purpose. No further details are apparent, to them or us, as this story begins, and to divulge more would take away the unique surprise of this ambitious and often beautiful film from Mark ‘One Hour Photo’ Romanek. Never Let Me Go is an interesting collision of genres. Looking to all intents and purposes like a traditional period drama, it is actually closer to science fiction in its bleak tone and existential theme. Divided into three sections, each marked by
understated title cards displaying the years 1978, 1985 and 1994, the film follows the ill-fated love-triangle that develops between three Hailsham students, Kathy, Ruth and Tommy (Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield), from their uniquely sheltered childhood through to their integration into the world as young adults. Kazuo Ishiguro’s oblique source novel was concerned
more with examining his characters’ interior lives than explaining the alternate reality his story takes place in, and Romanek and his able team of collaborators wisely resist trying to fill in the blanks. Writer Alex Garland (28 Days Later . . ., Sunshine) does an excellent job of translating the limited perspective of Kathy’s narration in the novel into something that works on film; the three main characters, and their different ways of understanding the life carved out for them, are brought more sharply into focus with each jump forward in time, so that when the emotional punch finally comes, it hits hard. Romanek’s film is draped in sadness, from the aching
tones of Rachel Portman’s piano score to cinematographer Adam Kimmel’s muted visual palette. But it’s a sadness that will be familiar, and in some way edifying to an audience, due to the deeply felt performances of Mulligan and Garfield. These two young actors have deservedly risen to the top of the pile in the last 18 months, and as Kathy and Tommy, two doomed souls finding each other in the little time they have, they are inspiring; a call to catch love while you can. (Paul Gallagher) ■ General release from Fri 11 Feb.
WESTERN TRUE GRIT (15) 110min ●●●●●
Henry Hathaway’s 1969 adaptation of Charles Portis’ novel was a rousing Hollywood crowd-pleaser, with the role of Marshal Rooster Cogburn allowing the unfashionable John Wayne an unexpected comeback. In the hands of the Coen Brothers, the 2011 version of True Grit is very different, a stirring poem not to the Hollywood West, but to an Old West, seen firmly through the eyes of 14- year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), who elicits the help of drunken veteran Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to seek out the gang who murdered her father.
Clearly no one dared to suggest to Joel and Ethan Coen that the Western is considered a moribund genre, and True Grit takes an expansive, detailed view of a corrupt, bygone society. From Matt Damon’s ineffectual Texas ranger to Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney, Mattie’s amoral quarry, the Coens elicit memorable performances from stars and bit players alike, garnished with top-drawer technical specifications. Although the unfamiliar speech patterns and social mores of a bygone period are initially somewhat distancing, True Grit artfully balances tight plotting, wry humour and sparse action scenes.
Lightning rarely strikes twice in the world of adaptations, but Portis’ story is that rare thing – a literary property that has spawned two great films. With True Grit, the Coens have reunited a great text with its original meaning, a minor miracle in an industry where the opposite is the norm. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 11 Feb.
ANIMATION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY YOGI BEAR (U) 80min ●●●●●
‘What bears do in the woods . . .’ would be a perfect description of this bizarre live-action/animation television cartoon reboot along the lines of Scooby Doo and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Yogi Bear’s adventure takes place in Jellystone Park, a place where a talking bear in a hat, tie and collar can wander around pontificating on his concerns about environmental issues and corporate culture.
As voiced by Dan Aykroyd, Yogi Bear is also a fun-loving forest denizen, although his breezy yet lugubrious demeanour disguises an obsession with the tasty contents of the ‘pic-a-nic-baskets’ brought by unwary campers. When Jellystone is threatened by corrupt politico Mayor Brown (Andrew Daly), Yogi sets about saving the park with the help of a documentary filmmaker, played by Anna Faris in a role where Werner Herzog might well have excelled. Also roped in is Yogi’s insipid pal BooBoo, voiced by Justin Timberlake, effortlessly dissipating his The Social Network cred.
Shortly before dancing to a rap song featuring the line ‘I like big butts’, Yogi announces ‘I’ve got a melon full of smart-juice’, but smart-juice was clearly scarce on the set of director Eric Brevig’s witless, flat production. Good films for children are hard to get right, but Yogi Bear makes it look almost impossible. Showing in 2D and 3D. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 11 Feb.
50 THE LIST 3–17 Feb 2011