The film begins with on-screen captions explaining that a medical breakthrough in 1952 has permitted the human lifespan to be extended beyond 100 years. It is narrated by 28-year-old Kathy H as she reminisces about her childhood at a boarding school called Hailsham, as well as her adult life after leaving the school. The film first depicts the young Kathy, along with her friends Tommy and Ruth, spending their childhood at Hailsham in 1978. The students are encouraged to create artwork, and their best work gets into The Gallery run by a mysterious woman known only as Madame. One day, a new teacher, Miss Lucy, quietly informs the students of their fate: they are destined to be organ donors and will die, or "complete", in their early adulthood. Shortly afterward she is fired by the headmistress, Miss Emily, for sharing this revelation with the children. As time passes, Kathy falls in love with Tommy, but Ruth and Tommy begin a relationship and stay together throughout the rest of their time at Hailsham.
MPAA Rating: | R |
Genre: | Drama, Romance, Sci Fi, Thriller |
Country: | United Kingdom, United States |
Produced By: | Tessa Ross, Richard Hewitt, Kazuo Ishiguro, Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Joanne Smith, Alex Garland |
Directed By: | Mark Romanek |
Written By: | Alex Garland, Kazuo Ishiguro |
Cast: | Lydia Wilson, Domhnall Gleeson, Hannah Sharp, Andrew Garfield, Sally Hawkins, Christina Carrafiell, Nathalie Richard, Amy Lennox, Kate Bowes Renna, Sylvie Macdonald, Monica Dolan, Oliver Parsons, Harvey Allpress, Andrea Riseborough, Charlotte Rampling, Damien Thomas, Huggy Leaver, Anna-Maria Everett, Ella Purnell, Keira Knightley, Charlie Rowe, Beverley Beck, Charles Cork, Fidelis Morgan, David Sterne, Izzy Meikle-Small, Luke Bryant, John Gillespie, Carey Mulligan, Kate Sissons |
In Theaters: | Oct 15, 2010 |
Runtime: | 1 hour 43 minutes |
Production: | DNA Films, Film4, Searchlight Films |
Budget: | $15,000,000 |
Box Office: | $2,434,652 |
Available On: | Amazon, Itunes, Netflix, Vudu |
Read More On: | Wikipedia |