Mark Romanek explores the difficult choices people make when faced with death in his film Never Let Me Go (2010). Explores the raw human emotions of jealousy and forgiveness through the characterization of Ruth (Keira Knightley) and Kathy (Carey Mulligan). When faced with death, it is common to take action towards people you care about, with this concept developed through the character of Ruth. However, people also want to forgive and be forgiven. These contrasting choices and subsequent actions the characters face are crucial to the film. The dystopian plot of cloning humans for their organs is so far removed from the audience's experiences that they feel apathy for the characters. To counteract this, the director successfully humanizes Kathy and Ruth by placing them in situations that many people also experience, allowing viewers to connect emotionally with the film. In doing so, Romanek enables them to question the ethics behind organ cultivation, as the characters express very human qualities rather than acting as faceless objects. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Romanek explores the human emotion of jealousy, particularly in the face of death, and how difficult it is to reverse the consequences. This emotion is illustrated by the character of Ruth, who reflects on and how she behaves towards Tommy and Kathy, as she would never have wanted to be left alone. Ruth's insecure and vulnerable qualities are present from the beginning of the film in Hailsham, and define her actions. The director first introduces the character of Tommy at a time when he is being made fun of by characters of his level, including Ruth. Kathy is the only person in her year to approach and then befriend Tommy. However, as soon as Ruth sees that Kathy and Tommy are happy together, her state of jealousy leads her to put her friendship with Kathy aside. Romanek foreshadows these actions in a scene in Hailsham, where Ruth and Kathy are gossiping in bed about the blossoming relationships within their group. The scene opens with an over-the-shoulder shot from Kathy's point of view, with Ruth's dialogue showing her interest in the love lives of their peers. Ruth's change in body language and dialogue about how "Tommy has changed" indicates his new opinion after seeing Kathy's interest in him. Additionally, having a dimmer light on Ruth than on Kathy depicts her naive behavior and how Ruth will manipulate her friend to get what she wants. Ruth makes a conscious choice to ignore Kathy's feelings towards Tommy so she can avoid her greatest fear of being alone. As the film progresses, Ruth's vulnerability and jealousy towards her peers also increase. His jealousy reaches a fever pitch while at "The Cottages", which exemplifies their fate as organ donors. Here Ruth tries to regain control over the only possible aspect of her life, namely relationships with others. Romanek highlights this idea in the scene where Kathy is listening to music and Ruth interrupts her with offensive comments. The backlighting on Ruth as she enters the room, combined with the haunting non-diegetic music and low angle shot, makes her appear sinister and powerful, which makes the audience nervous and unsure of the situation. Ruth's teasing but personal dialogue and open body language as she belittles Kathy momentarily demonstrate her vulnerability, stating that "Tommy and Kathy would be a more natural couple." Romanek chooses to explore this concept to humanize the cold character and.