A world without war – sounds pretty good to me about now. War, hatred, fear, pain, jealousy – it’s all bad stuff. If only we could get rid of all the bad stuff…
The Giver, directed by Philip Noyce with fidelity to Lois Lowry’s novel, tackles themes familiar to speculative dystopian fiction (Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451; Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron), but like the novel, it is intended for young audiences, and therefore explores pertinent philosophical questions in simpler terms, and however much horror is experienced in the interim, one can be assured of an ending that offers some hope. In an unspecified post-catastrophic future, “Communities” have resolved all social problems through their credo of “sameness.” Viewed through the eyes of 16 year old Jonas (Brenton Thwaite, whom you probably don’t remember from Maleficent), just at the brink of adult membership in the community, one quickly learns that life is serene and beautiful, as long as one follows the rules: use precise language, obey the curfew, never lie. While “precise language” has a certain appeal, at least at first, they lost me at “obey the curfew,” and yet, the depiction of the community is one of the best parts of this rather predictable film.
The glaring sterility of life in the community makes it clear from the get go that “sameness” is at best a bit dull, yet as a viewer it is fun to discover this dystopia and its denizens. Family life is a great send-up of 50s era conformity and the mantra of “appropriate behavior” heard in homes throughout the planet. Dad (Alexander Skarsgård) radiates sweetness, he’s just your ordinary, average, somewhat hesitant and probably rather incompetent guy, which makes him instantly likeable in comparison to super-meticulous upholder of community values Mom, unnervingly portrayed by Katie Holmes (one shudders to think of the research for this role). Little sister Lilly (Emma Tremblay) is eager yet delightfully not quite acculturated, she brings a much-needed spark to the family tableau. Jonas and his best friends Fiona (Odeya Rush) and Asher (Cameron Monaghan) are all a bit wooden, but there’s a good reason for that, it’s all part of the community plan.
There are some excellent choices made here – Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep and the first 20 or 30 minutes of the film shot in shades of gray, literally and metaphorically showing the viewer what life is like in the community. Yet as it works to deliver its message, it feels like this film is working too hard, belaboring the point and a more than occasional didactic lapse. To achieve their serene verging on placid status, the Community has not only done away with all the bad stuff, but anything that might lead to bad stuff, like books, memories, and those pesky things that always get in the way of everything – emotions. The only community member who still has access to the huge repository of the past is the Receiver of Memory (Jeff Bridges), and Jonas has been chosen to be the next to fulfill this role. Jeff Bridges is wonderful in his role as “the Giver” – Jonas’ mentor, gruffly guiding him through the images and experiences he will need in order to function as the community’s advisor.
The problem here is twofold: all that is revealed to Jonas is all too familiar to us, who live in this far-from-perfect world, and Brenton Thwaites just can’t summon up enough emotion to let us feel his excitement. While Jeff Bridges does damaged, dangerous, and good-at-heart really well, and Meryl Streep is her sinister, nuanced self, the younger actors just don’t measure up, which is a distraction in this meant-to-be suspenseful film. Don’t get me wrong, it is quite enjoyable, and will certainly offer much material for post-viewing conversations. Yet…
A word of warning. Tender-hearted viewers of all ages, there is one scene is this film which is horrifying, it’s brief, but simply horrifying.
A recommendation. there are two other films that relate to The Giver‘s themes but do it much better: The Lego Movie (thanks to my movie-watching silent partner for pointing this out), and Guardians of the Galaxy. The Lego Movie is visually enticing, and shows up the flaws in obsessive reliance on rules, instructions and sameness with bounce, fun, and an awesome addictive theme song (and it has Lego). Guardians of the Galaxy is yet another terrific film in the Marvel repertoire, based on a comic, it is happily not trying for any kind of perfection and depicts an action-packed cosmic setting full of thieves, liars, violent types and assorted bad guys galore. Without a lot of unnecessary exposition, its vivid characters make a great statement on diversity (whereas the percentage of white people in The Giver is a bit scary). Irreverent, cleverly written and funny this film does not make the fatal mistake of taking itself too seriously, while understanding that a good mix-tape is, to paraphrase Keats: a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
The Giver (USA, 94 min, 2014, English)
Based on the novel by Lois Lowry; Directed by Philip Noyce; Screenplay: Michael Mitnick; Music: Marco Beltrami; Cinematography: Ross Emery; Editing: Barry Alexander Brown; Cast: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites, Alexander Skarsgård, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes, Taylor Swift, Cameron Monaghan, Jordan Nicholas Smal, Saige Fernandes.
Guardians of the Galaxy (USA, 120 min, 2014, English)
Directed by James Gunn; Screenplay: Gunn, Nicole Perlman, based on the Marvel comic book by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Cinematography: Ben Davis; Editing: Craig Wood, Fred Raskin, Hughes Winborne; Music: Tyler Bates; Music Supervisor: Dave Jordan; Production designer: Charles Wood; Supervising Art Director: Raymond Chan; Art Directors: Mike Stallion, Mark Swain, Tom Brown, Jordan Crockett; 3D/VFX Art Director: Phil Simms; Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock.
The Lego Movie (USA, 110 min, 2014, English)
Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller; Story: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman; Cinematography (color, widescreen, HD, 3D): Pablo Plaisted; Live Action Camera: Barry Peterson; Editing: David Burrows, Chris McKay; Music: Mark Mothersbaugh; Live Action Art Director: Jay Pelissier, Sue Chan; Cast: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman.
