Never Let Me Go

I have not read the novel upon which this film is based, but my wife tells me that this film captures the spirit of the novel very well. If that is true, I may want to ready myself emotionally for reading the novel, because the film is a handful. I seldom have seen a movie where a particular mood is so well captured in a film. Here the mood that is captured is hopelessness and resignation. However, within that hopelessness, hope still resides, and it gives the viewer something to think about in terms of how we must seize opportunities in our own lives, since life is a gift, and life is short.

The film imagines a world parallel to ours wherein cloning was perfected in the 1950's. In the present day, there is an entire race of clones that is being created and raised to harvest their vital organs in order that "originals" (human non-clones) might survive disease. All of these clones know their destiny, and they accept it. The film primarily follows three clones (played by Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley and Carrie Mulligan) and their short journey through life. The film does not grapple with the ethics of the situation, though there is one human who sees their desperate desire to live a few years for love and proclaims, "You poor creatures." Instead, the film pulls back, shows us the narrative, and allows us to ponder the implications of that world. Many different ethical questions can arise from this film: cloning itself, stem cell research, class struggle, and abortion. The film speaks directly to none of these. What makes the film brilliant is its ability to tell its story without excessive moralizing. It is clear that what is going on the film is not a desirable world, yet the situation is shown with such veracity that it does seem possible.

In the end, we are forced to look into the eyes of these creatures and ask ourselves to identify with them. Their lives are short, but in the grand scheme of things, none of us live long lives, and few of us are ready to die. That is why what is being done to this people is tragic. Life is short enough without it being deliberately and coldly taken from you. On the other hand, will we as humans ever be able to accept the reality of death and not cling to life so tightly that we sacrifice innocent lives in order to extend our own short life spans? These questions naturally arise...and the effect is tremendous.

Bottlerocket

Watching "Bottle Rocket" is like finding the headwaters of the Mississippi-you know that something great will come out of this source, yet you know that you are only at the source, and not at the river. This movie has so much of what its director Wes Anderson would later perfect in "Rushmore" and (in my opinion) most effectively capture in "Royal Tennenbaums". What is it about Anderson's films that make him my favorite current director? A number of things come to mind, all of them on display in this movie, but are perfected later.

First, there is the attention to detail. There is a scene wherein Owen Wilson's character shows his partners in crime a map of the heist they are going to pull. The map is exquisite in its detail. It seems odd that a minor prop for this film would be so intricate. Welcome to Wes Anderson's world. This only becomes more apparent in "Rushmore", in which the protagonist is himself a director of plays. I can't help but think that the attention to detail that Max has toward his plays in Rushmore are a mirror image of Anderson himself.

Second, there is the self importance of the characters. There is a certain tone to a character in a Wes Anderson film that is hard to quantify, but it's always there. Here, this small time heist seems to be a life changing event to Owen Wilson's character, while Luke Wilson and the other accomplices seem to be along for the ride. That prima donna quality is shared by Anderson's protagonists (as well as other characters). With this comes passion and misplaced anger at times, which both lead to humor.

Third, there is always a sense that one is watching something very personal. In some ways, when one watches a Wes Anderson film, one feels as though they are watching a home movie. This is best on display here in "Bottlerocket", since so many of the actors really are family and friends (all of the Wilson brothers are in this movie, as well as friends of the Andersons). Many directors over the years have used the same actors over and over again, but I don't think any director has been this personal with using them. Even as Anderson began to be a more successful director and his casts became more star studded, the familial element still seems to be there.

Many people praised "Bottlerocket" to no end. I like it, but I feel that Anderson really came of age with "Rushmore" and perfected his work with "Royal Tennebaums." But the sleeping giant is fully on display here in this film. All of the angst, innocence, wonder, great soundtracks and closing slow motion shots we come to expect from this extraordinary filmmaker are here for the taking.