starring: carey mulligan, andrew garfield, keira knightley
director: mark romanek
art direction: paul cripps + denis schnegg
costumes: rachael fleming + steven noble
what's kept me from fashion + what's kept me in film is its essentially narrative potential. the art direction + costumes work for a very specific reason, that is, in hopes to develop a character of some sort - a person, a place, a thing. so often is fashion inhumane in this way - models are often merely human coat hangers. i'm not familiar with kazuo ishiguro's novel in which this film is based, but romanek's interpretation is a stunning inquiry of ethics + humanity.
the main trio (mulligan, garfield, + knightley) bleed into the english countryside. costumes are rustic + comfortably dated. shades are bold + autumnal. all is kindly antique + tenderly vague. nothing is loud, but gently aged, warm, + soft - no distinctive patterns, no bright monochrome combinations, but as reflective + natural as the wind. characters remain in modest school uniforms types with a hand-me-down quality. there are no establishing shots of the characters purchasing their clothing, so you're left with the impression that they make it all + share among themselves. besides an unfortunate wig (mulligan), these characters front a wonderfully frail, compassionate story of love + morality. it is a must see for this fall.
p.s. i've never cried in the movie theater so hard.
