Adapting a book that Time Magazine called “The Best of the Decade” is no small feat for any director, let alone a director making his second feature. Mark Romanek, director of “Never Let Me Go,” proves more than up for the task. His adaptation is quietly intense, much like its source material, a contemporary drama with the lightest hint of sci-fi. It follows the relationship between three students at an English boarding school from adolescence to their short-lived adulthood. The love triangle between the three is believably written and feels like a relationship we’ve all seen in our own friendships.

All is not as it seems, however, and the hints Romanek drops to the audience are sleek and subtle. A shot lingers for three seconds longer than it would have under an amateur director. This culminates in a fascinating and intelligent twist that isn’t beat into us M. Night Shymalan style; rather, it seems like a confirmation of the insecurity that had been lurking in the background of the movie.

Adam Kimmel’s lensing captures and enhances the muted colors of the English countryside. Rachel Portman’s score is composed of simple piano melodies and a small orchestra and is one of the best scores in recent times. In the crucial final scene, these two elements swell together perfectly, leaving the audience feeling surprisingly whole after being assaulted by such emptiness.

The real highlight of the movie, though, is the acting. Carey Mulligan (“An Education”) is stunning as the protagonist Kathy. Keira Knightley (“Atonement,” “Pride and Prejudice”), in an uncharacteristic supporting role, brilliantly portrays her struggle between confidence and tragedy. And Andrew Garfield is already poised to be the Next Big Thing with “The Social Network” on his resumé and the “Spiderman” reboot on deck. Sally Hawkins (“Happy-Go-Lucky”) is only onscreen for 15 minutes but commands attention as a fragile teacher who cannot hide the terrible secret from the children any longer. My only complaint about the movie was its pacing: The movie felt rushed at some points, and with a short runtime of 103 minutes, it could certainly have been longer. “Never Let Me Go” was a haunting and beautifully bleak movie that I would suggest to anyone who loves good movies.