“In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the “real” world.” (Source: IMDb)
The Giver is a thought-provoking movie, or at least that is my opinion. I watched it the other day when it came on TV, mainly because the wonderful Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges were in it. Come to find out, Katie Holmes and Taylor Swift were supporting actresses in this movie.
Based on the first in a series of novels by Lois Lowery, The Giver follows the life of Jonas and his new role as the keeper of all past memories, good and bad.
Movie QUOTE from IMDb:
Title Card: All memories of the past were erased.
Jonas: After The Ruin we started over, creating a new society, one of true equality. Rules were the building blocks of that equality. We learned them as Newchildren. Rules like: use precise language, wear your assigned clothing, take your morning medication, obey the curfew, never lie.
Jonas: My name is Jonas. I don’t have a last name. None of us did. That day, the day before graduation, I admit it, I was scared. Tomorrow we’d be assigned our jobs, our purpose. It seemed everyone knew theirs already. Not me. I was lost. I always felt like I saw things – differently; saw things other people didn’t. I never said anything. I didn’t want to be different. Who would?
Jonas: [narration continues] We lived in a world where differences weren’t allowed. There was no “popular.” No fame. No losers and no winners. Our Elders had eliminated all of that, so there’d be no conflict between us. Fear, pain, envy, hate, they weren’t words so much as sounds. Their echoes were gone, to the other side of history. I’m asked if I should apologize for what I did. I’ll let you decide.
In the world in which we currently live, life is full of color, pain, and past memories. Everything is alive. What would our world be like today if we lived in a dystopian society like The Ruin, where there is no war, no pain, no color, no memories, no choices, and no real knowledge of what love is?
The Giver is the first in a series of four books by author Lois Lowery.
I do hope that Hollywood proceeds to turn the other three books into movies, but I may end up trying to read the other three books first. I know sometimes Hollywood doesn’t finish a series like this if too many movies of the same theme start showing up in theaters. This movie is a little more complex than any other dystopian movie, simply because there is not color, no real separation between the people in The Ruin like there is in Divergent or The Hunger Games movies. But in both of those series, there is a lead character (a young female) who leads a “revolution” of sorts. In The Giver, the lead character wants to know more, wants to know what is beyond the memories border.
The movie was shot in South Africa and Utah, giving the movie the dystopian look it needs. There are historical movie clips interspersed when The Giver shares memories with Jonas. There is no real emotion in the movie until Jonas starts seeing the memories. He discovers what pain is, what fear is, and what love is, and he tries to share these feelings with his friends and family.
The cast is pretty great too. Jeff Bridges is The Giver and Meryl Streep is Chief Elder. Jonas is played by Brenton Thwaits, and Jonas’ two friends, Fiona and Asher, are played by Odeya Rush and Cameron Monaghan, respectively. Alex Skarsgard and Katie Holmes play Jonas’ parents. Taylor Swift plays a small role, that of the previous student of The Giver. There is a little twist in her role, but I’ll keep that spoiler to myself.
Have you seen the movie, The Giver, or read any or all of the series? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave your comments below!
Have a great day!
Note: All photos from either BuzzFeed or IMDb, via Pinterest.