The Giver: Giving life new meaning

By: Lexy Perez

Assistant to Arts and Entertainment Editor

If it hasn’t been conspicuous enough, today’s cinema world revolves around the generation of young readers. While “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” proved to be box-office successes, director Phillip Noyce attempts to achieve more towards young readers by bringing the beloved worldwide classic “The Giver” onto the big screen.

The film portrays Lois Lowry’s world of a secluded culture in which citizens spend their lives abiding by the strict rules enforced since birth. Citizens live their days residing with their respected family units, working in their selected careers and living in a perceived “ideal” community that promotes harmony and equality by prohibiting emotions, freedom of choice, suffering, war and colors. Believing in their leader Chief Elder (Meryl Streep), the story is analogous to the idea of “Big Brother is always watching,” with citizens consistently under the radar of their town elders, ensuring harmony and sameness remains within the community’s borders.

They select Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), an 18-year-old anticipating the beginning of a new adult life, to be the society’s new receiver of memory. Being the young protégé to his teacher, The Giver (Jeff Bridges), guides Jonas through a journey in which he learns about the world he never knew existed- feeling the natural human responses of emotions represented through visions received from the Giver. The film takes the audience on a journey through Jonas’ widening view of his surrounding world that leaves them pondering over life’s purpose and whether they have done an adequate job at appreciating the world they live in.

While Bridges resembles a kooky elder that failed to receive daily adequate sleep, his interaction with Thwaites is both charming and respected. Their trusted camaraderie creates an unbreakable bond that could rank with the likes of Anakin and Obi-Won or Dumbledore and Harry Potter.

Following the typical young-adult plotline, Thwaites is a young hero yearning to break free from his society’s way of life. With his Hollywood looks and relatable demeanor to audience members, Thwaites proves he isn’t just a newcomer, but a rising movie star. With the star power performances from Bridges and Streep, the film not only delivers a phenomenal cast depicting a respectable adaptation, but successfully conveys the overall theme of the book: there’s more to life than meets the eye.

If Noyce released the film prior to its fellow dystopian tales, it might’ve avoided the immediate comparisons and categorization of another cliché, dystopian teen film. What sets this film apart from the rest is its attempt to take a simple plot line and tackle complicated themes of conformity, identity, camaraderie and death all with ease. “The Giver” may seem like another film to add to the list of dystopian tales, but its uniqueness qualifies it as a front-runner amongst its counterparts. Aside from being an entertaining adaptation, it gives audience members something to consider when choosing how to live their lives.

4.5/5 Paws