The Giver

Genre:

Sci-Fi/Dystopian

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Cast:

Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Emma Tremblay, Odeya Rush, Cameron Monaghan and Taylor Swift

Novel | IMDb | Trailer | Wikipedia

In a world called the Community, everything seems perfect and safe, without differences, war or pain.  Jonas is one of them. He lives with his parents and a little sister, Lilly. He has two best friends, Asher and Fiona. They are already 18 years old, which means they soon ‘graduates’ from childhood and will be assigned their position in the Community. Jonas is rather nervous than excited. He spends his training in Nutrition Center with his friends and helps his father work which nurture babies and stuff. But he feels like he doesn’t belong there or anywhere.

In the Ceremony day, the Elder Chief called each of graduates and gives their new position. Asher is given a job as a drone pilot, Fiona assigned to be in the Nutrition Center and Jonas selected as the new Receiver of Memory. He begins his private training with The Giver in a house in the edge of the Community. The Gives is the one who remembers the memory before the community is created. He will transfer each memory to Jonas.  Jonas starts to learn feelings, figures out differences and also experiences pain.

The Giver was good and amusing, but not something that I expected. The seem-so-perfect world that the movie has was very interesting. Everything that would lead to pain did not exist there. They ‘erased’ it, even they forbidden to sound the words. Does it made world safe and good for everybody? A big no. This is what Jonas realized and then he wants everybody know that. Then I compare it to the real world. I thought that would be nice if war, bad people and the pain of broken heart did not exist. But then I realized, I could not feel happy or anything good, if I could not feel, experience and differentiate it from something bad. What a thought.

Jonas’ aim was good and brave, but the effort to make it real that made me disappointed. It was kinda ridiculous. Just go to the Elsewhere and ‘broke’ the spell, really? Nothing thrilling like protest, fight or anything against the Chief Elder. Is it because things like that forbidden? Then, questions pop up on my head, who decided to create a Community and its rules? You see, the Elder Chief seems powerless and forget the memory of past. Where those babies came from? Cause I did not find anything, some kinda feelings or romantic relationship between Jonas’ parents. And why they have the Giver and a Receiver of Memory in the first place? Haven’t they experienced Jonas’ rebellion before or al least predicted something like that? And most importantly, does the story on the novel is similar like that? I have to read it sooooon!

My favorite scene:  Taylor Swift’s scene as Rosemary. It was short. But I like it ;p