Riaz Mamdani
Staff Writer
The paradox of a perfect society is that man cannot be perfect nor achieve perfection.
The film adaptation of Lois Lowry’s “The Giver,” directed by Phillip Noyce, despite having a fascinating premise, is slightly weighed down by its complex social themes and uneventful plot. Nevertheless, the film’s strong acting keeps the audience hooked.
Noyce’s film centers around a boy named Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) who lives in a futuristic utopian community created by The Elders, which contains no color, emotion, memory or choice. When Jonas begins to receive memories from a man known as the giver (Jeff Bridges), his knowledge of the past blossoms, and he comes to doubt the wisdom of the Elders and starts to fall in love with his classmate Fiona (Odeya Rush). Jonas also begins to realize what he has uncovered about how emotions enrich life, a discovery rejected by the creators of his community.
Noyce’s use of color in “The Giver” is very creative. When depicting a world in which emotion has been banned, things are black and white. As Jonas begins to discover the past, desaturated hues creep in showing the importance of human emotion, a central theme throughout the film.
The film’s strong acting is mainly why it is a success. Thwaites’ authentic devotion to his character and strong personality as well as Bridges’ reclusive personality makes them seem like real people rather than the uniform society beside them. The witty yet real combination of these two actors keep the movie together despite a failing plot.
The first half of the film is dry with no plot progression at all. The recurring scenes of Jonas and Fiona with hints of romance begin to convince viewers of a possible love story but is eventually and abruptly shut down.
Ultimately, the films philosophical social nuances are very deep and intellectual, hindering them from being realized by average viewers. The audience is forced to think deeply about the film to actually understand it, making it complicated and intense.
Overall, “The Giver” fails to compete with other teen flicks, but it does have a strong and well rounded cast which ultimately keeps the film together despite a failing plot.
“The Giver” is rated PG-13 and is playing in theaters nationwide.
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