Film Review | The Giver

Is something ever lost if you never had it from the beginning?

In a society where the past does not matter and the now is always as it has been, memories seem insignificant; language is precise and feelings are conceptualised. Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is at a point in his life where all of this will only be a distant memory, because only he has the privilege of accessing the past, to truly see the present, and change the future.

The Story

The Giver takes on the title of the novel it is based upon. Like many post-apocalyptic films, this film is set in a futuristic world where everyone is truly equal and communities are segregated. Although it does not have The Hunger Games’ or Divergent’s concept of differing groups functioning in different ways, The Giver has a similar thread in terms of how individuals operate in a society.

The film follows the same plot of Lois Lowry’s novel, but he only major change was the additional budding romance between the protagonist and his only female friend. There was also a slight attempt to have a love triangle, but I think that sub-plot was just to show the differing friendship dynamics when “growing up” is added to the mix.

Overall, I thought it was accurate to the book. The parts I loved in the book were all presented in the film, but be warned, although Micheal Mitnick and Robert B. Weide do an excellent job of adapting Lowry’s novel, there’s so much more to the story that were omitted to suit the 97-minute time limit. Otherwise, I thought it did the novel a great justice.

The Cast

Brenton Thwaites is one to definitely watch over the years. Another Aussie hitting up the big screens, Thwaites not only held his American accent, he also portrayed a very believable Jonas. He understood the naivety that Jonas begins his journey with and allowed himself to progress into that hunger for more as his character began to make different discoveries about the past. As Jonas grows in his ability to “see beyond,” Thwaites was able to draw you in and invite you to take that journey with Jonas.

Jeff Bridges, who plays the Giver, was incredible in his portrayal of a man burdened with the – literally – the weight of the world. You could feel his fatigue, passion and his agony over the loss of the world around him and his own personal loss too. Together with Thwaites, the bond between mentor and pupil was evident and inspiring.

Meryl Streep was as beautiful and captivating as always as she played the Chief Elder of the community. She was elegant and fearsome which is exactly how the book portrays the collective body of Elders.

Odeya Rush needs a special mention considering her character is not as central in the book as it is in the film. I love the fact that she had a delicate balance of child and adult in her portrayal of a girl who’s learning different ways of seeing life. What I loved most was that chemistry between Jonas and Fiona was not strong, because it made the film more believable – not to say that the two had no chemistry at all! Rush complimented Thwaites very well and balanced his mental discoveries with her limited physical imitations to perfection.

Overall I thought The Giver was incredibly enticing and captivating. It had a brilliant concept on the page that was well executed on the screen. I recommend reading the book prior to or after viewing the film in order to fill-in the blanks. Like I said, there was much that was omitted in order to get the main progression of the story presented on the screen.

sL Star Rating: ★★★★

Next on sL: The Maze Runner