Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
"When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong." ~ Chief Elder Meryl Streep
In The Giver, Jonas (newcomer Brenton Thwaites) lives in a black and white world, eagerly awaiting the next stage of his life: assignment in the community, aka his job. He lives in a world without freedom and agency. Everything is assigned including the family unit, children, and occupation. There is no choice. Jonas sees nothing wrong with this, freely willing to accept whatever the community Elders decide, especially since he doesn't know where he belongs, feeling different and separate from everyone.
During a special career ceremony Jonas stands and waits as he is skipped over, looking around, unsure. And then the big announcement comes: Jonas will be the Receiver of Memories. His task will be difficult since he is expected to experience pain. Be brave. Don't fail, as another has failed before. The next day he is asked to meet with a man who calls himself "The Giver" (Jeff Bridges).
In this world even memories are kept from the people. Memories, knowledge, books, history, and differing thought. Hence the faithful compliance.
Jonas will soon see beyond the black and white.
In a sea of post-apocalyptic movies it's easy to compare The Giver with The Hunger Games, Divergent, and soon to be The Maze Runner, all popular YA novels turned film.
For me I see no comparison.
In my mind The Giver was the first dystopian YA novel, written in 1993 by Lois Lowry, winner of the Newbery Medal. I read this book in elementary, soon after it was published, and the images The Giver created in my mind has stayed with me. The themes haunting: Dangers of a large controlling government, climate control, individualism, sanctity of life, free will, family, motherhood, emotions, memory, love and pain (opposition in all things), infanticide, and euthanasia.
The heavy themes in this movie is one of the reasons why The Giver has taken so long to be made. Many studios wouldn't touch this project.
A persistent Jeff Bridges is one of the reasons The Giver is finally a reality. He's been trying to get this book made into a movie for 18 years, originally envisioning his father in the tittle role, but the timing wasn't right. Set back after set back, but I'm glad it's taken this long. Movie industry technology wasn't ready for this film, and the grand visuals and futuristic plausibility is what it should be. Usually I frown when CGI is overused, here it's a necessity. Plus, with the 18 year wait, Bridges is old enough to play The Giver, which is only fitting.
Under the guidance of director Phillip Noyce all the complex, controversial themes are handled delicately.
And the use of black and white film verses color is perfectly balanced, though not with the same impact as the book. Visually the timing does work between B&W and technicolor.
True, there are some things you can only pull off through literature, yet I feel this film is a good representation of the novel. Not perfect, sense the young characters are aged six years for additional tension and emotional possibilities, yet I'm not bothered with an 18 year old Jonas vs one that is 12.
The movie has impact, still, when I read the book as a kid, it was a shock when I realized everyone saw in black and white instead of color. Through Jonas you see this Utopian society fall apart. You see the delusions and hypocrisies. The movie does a fine job, though the book is still better in these regards. I felt a greater journey of self discovery and realization while reading.
Overall I was not disappointed, and can easily see this movie again.
(As a note: The ending still bothers me, which remains unchanged.)
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for a mature thematic image and some sci-fi action/violence.
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