The first noticeable thing about this film is that it is beautiful. From the high quality camera work, to the incredible beauty of the countryside setting, everything looks spectacular and in certain scenes exactly how the books described. This then comes together perfectly with a stunning score and scenes displayed with just the right amount of emotion to make some of the film's greatest moments. The acting is also brilliant, with an especially good performance from the three leads- so this description makes the film seem perfect, right? Well, there are a lot of major problems with the film that keep it as 'good' instead of 'very good'.
The biggest problem with the film is what they cut out of the book on which it was based. What made Kazuo Ishaguro's original novel so spectacular was the small moments, the little jokes or tiny fall outs between the characters that made it such a true reflection of reality. In the novel, almost all of these moments are lost, and as a result the film becomes a meaningless blur that in many cases will leave viewers confused and not understanding Ishaguro's original meaning. In conjunction with this, the dialogue can get exceedingly cheesy, turning certain moments from emotional triumphs into complete messes.
Overall, this film is a mixed bag- the 'childhood' section is botched due to the aforementioned omissions, and the cottages section is the same, but the film does gradually pick up in quality until it becomes the stunning masterpiece that the entire film should have been. I guess it is worth a watch, but generally I would recommend you read the book, which is far superior to this confused but reasonable attempt at an adaptation.
