• Home
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Blog
  • E-Board
  • Around Boston
  • Join
Northeastern University's Film Enthusiasts Club
.

Carter Sigl on The Giver

8/15/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
So apparently, I was just about the only American kid who didn’t read The Giver in grammar school. So, not knowing what the story is about, the initial trailers for the film gave me the impression that this was just another action-packed young-adult Hunger Games knock-off movie. However, I am happy to say that my expectations were completely wrong; The Giver is a very different kind of film.

In case you were like me and didn’t read the novel as a kid, here’s a brief summary: the story stars a boy named Jonas (11 in the novel, upped to 16 in the film), played by Brenton Thwaites. He lives in an idyllic society that has eliminated inequality, racism, and all forms of violence. Upon reaching the age of majority, he and his friends Asher (Cameron Monaghan) and Fiona (Odeya Rush) go through the Ceremony, a ritual where each new adult is assigned the job in which they will serve the community. While his friends are chosen for the common jobs of child-raiser and drone pilot, Jonas is selected for a very special role: he will become the next Receiver of Memories. Jonas’ society has been able to build their utopian community by purging all memories of the past from each member; these memories are carried by one person in case they are ever needed. As Jonas slowly receives the memories from his mentor (Jeff Bridges), he slowly starts to question the culture he has accepted without second thought until now.

Like I said, I thought this was going to be an action-packed young adult summer blockbuster, but it is not. In fact, this film has virtually no action whatsoever; there is a motorcycle chase towards the end, but there is no violence. Jonas’ community has supposedly advanced past the need for violence, so there are no weapons, and indeed most of the residents seem incapable of even conceiving the concept of violence. I found this extremely refreshing, as it left room for quality acting, character development, and world building. The film starts off in greyscale, gradually brightening up as Jonas receives more memories. One of the things the community has forgotten is color, and it is a shock to both Jonas and the viewer the first time he sees green trees and blue skies. Thwaites and Rush act in a purposely stilted and formal style to reflect the mannerisms of the community, but despite their relative inexperience they keep the film enjoyable. The community depicted in the film/book is sort of like a (mostly) kid-friendly version of the worlds depicted in 1984 or Brave New World.

And in fact, the themes of The Giver are not far off from those landmark works of dystopian fiction. Basically, the film questions whether we can achieve peace and harmony while simultaneously possessing free will. Further, it ponders whether peace and harmony achieved at the cost of free will is even peace and harmony in the first place. The film deals with some heavy stuff for being targeted towards young adults, and there are a few moments in particular that will shock those who haven’t read the novel (myself included). However, it doesn’t end up sounding preachy, but rather more like a fairytale with a moral woven into the story.

Judging by the trailers, one could easily be misled about this movie, and go into it expecting an action-fest. After all, pretty much all films targeted towards the young-adult crowd (and much of the literature too) focuses on action at the expense of plot and characterization, just like much of Hollywood’s recent fare. But The Giver is a much more meaningful and powerful film than most young-adult fare, showing that a film targeting that demographic doesn’t need to have action or high tension. At the end of the day, a meaningful story is enough.

Grade: B+
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    AJ Martin
    Andy Robinson
    Anime
    Anthony Formicola
    Anu Gulati
    Arjun Agarwal
    Arzu Martinez
    Ben Garbow
    Brandon Isaacson
    Brian Hamilton
    Carter Sigl
    Dan Simeone
    Discussion
    Elizabeth Johnson Wilson
    Eliza Rosenberry
    Emily Fisler
    Erick Sanchez
    Eric Tatar
    Essays
    Festivals
    Gabrielle Ulubay
    Haley Emerson
    Here's Some Movies
    Ian Wolff
    IFF Boston
    IFFBoston 2015
    Interviews
    Isaac Feldberg
    Kunal Asarsa
    Library
    Lists
    Marguerite Darcy
    Marissa Marchese
    Mary Tobin
    Meghan Murphy
    Mike Muse
    Mitch Macro
    Neel Shah
    Netflix Instant Watch
    Parth Parekh
    Patrick Roos
    Profiles
    Reviews
    Short Films
    Television
    This Week In Movies
    Tyler Rosini

    Want to Write for Us?

    Contact NUFEC President Ian Wolff at nufecblog@gmail.com if you're interested in writing for this blog!

    Archives

    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.