I’ve become a real fan of Garland’s screenwriting – it’s lean, sparse, logical but still hits all the emotional points. This is a beautiful piece of work, even if the story has done service before in The Island – it’s about kids who are raised to provide body parts for people. (It’s also similar to the old Joe Losey Hammer movie, The Damned.) The blithe acceptance of their fate by the society within which they live is one of the most terrifying things about this (although I did feel at some stage a clone would have rebelled. I think we should have seen one person try to do it.) There are only three main characters (I’m beginning to feel that in a film that’s all you need for leads), plus some touching support – the teachers who are trying to be ethical, the other students desperate for a dream to cling to. I’m not that surprised this wasn’t a hit – it’s sad and depressing, very melancholy, without much bang bang. It also doesn’t have a massive amount of plot – we find out relative early what’s going on, and we know from the beginning it’ll end unhappily. The rest is tone and emotion.
No comments:
Post a Comment