The Giver (2014) Full Movie
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.
Director : Phillip Noyce
Writers : Michael Mitnick, Robert B. Weide (screenplay)
Stars : Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep
This film, based on Lois Lowry's book, tells the story of a perfect world. Everyone here is happy. When Jonas is 18 years old, he's chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. He enters into training with an old man called 'the Giver' who would give Jonas memories of the "real" world that the rest of the community is hidden from. From the Giver, Jonas learns not only of love and family, but also of pain, war, and all the unhappy truths the world holds. He quickly realizes that his community is fake. Confronted with this reality, Jonas faces difficult choices about his own life and the futures of many people he's become close to.
Reviews
Overall, The Giver was a good, quality movie. It conveyed an important message: we need the bad in order to appreciate the good. I definitely plan on buying it when it comes out on DVD.
First, what I thought wasn't great about the movie: I thought the first little bit of the movie was rushed, as well as another segment later on. I also don't feel that time was conveyed well—almost a year passes from the beginning of the movie to the end, but the movie portrays it as just a few days. As a result of the time warp, we don't properly understand how love develops between the characters. We also don't see enough of Fiona's and Asher's development—they play key parts towards the end, but their actions seem out of the blue.
Now, the good of the movie: Above all, this movie conveys what I think is a very important message about needing pain with joy. I also appreciated that they touched on the differences between simply "a family unit" and having a real family. The emphasis on love as overarching was also good and appropriate. I appreciated that the movie doesn't show details of the painful memories but still is able to convey a little of the sorrow from them.
Again, I think this is a great movie overall. And I left the theater wondering, "Will we remember? Will we remember that love is worth the price of sorrow?" I certainly hope we never forget.
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