Like many pretentious kids, The Giver was one of my favorite books growing up. And so when they finally released the trailer after years (and years) of anticipation, my response, like most of us, was horror. It looked like it was trying to be Divergent or Hunger Games or any one of the many cookie-cutter YA dystopia movies, and nothing at all like the book I grew up with.
Now that I’ve seen the film, I can say that it’s not as awful as the trailers make it look. However, that doesn’t mean it’s very good.
(spoilers)
I give the movie makers kudos (whatever they are) for the way the handled color. The movie, in general, was nice to look at, and the actors did well enough with what was written.
however the movie as a whole falls flat for many reasons.
Jonas’ society is supposed to be one without emotions, yet right from the beginning, he is seen to have genuine friendships with Asher and Fiona. Their emotional connection is too strong, when it should be mildly pleasant and distant.
The romance is completely unnecessary and distracts from the story. Just once, just once, I would love to see a movie directed at the YA audience that doesn’t have a love story in it. In the book, Jonas becomes distant from her because she cannot and will never understand what it’s like to have a real connection with someone, and his distance from his old friends is painful for him. But the movie plays it safe. Instead of isolation, he is able to bring Fiona into his world.
And speaking of pain, the bad memories are nowhere near vivid or painful numerous enough. We are giving lots and lots of stock footage of generically happy people, but never see starvation, depression, emotional loss, or physical suffering on any level. These are the memories that haunt The Giver and physically weaken him, but they are not given enough time or space in the film.
The Giver is a book that doesn’t condescend and doesn’t give any easy answers. The ending is ambiguous…we don’t know that The Community is ok, we don’t even know that Jonas will be ok. We are only left with hope. The movie removes that ambiguity, instead wrapping things up with an unquestionably happy end. It’s so pandering….instead of uncertainty we get a neat ending and a romance.
There are moments when the film does Go There (the ‘releasing’ of an infant, for instance), but it isn’t often enough. In a story that celebrates life, even despite great loss and pain, the viewer is shielded from the pain. When Jonas leaves at the end of the book, he knows he can never return to the only person who loves him. In the movie, the ending narration is sure of it.
A movie must connect emotionally. Emotionally gut me, sure. Make me cry for days, sure. But a movie that leaves you feeling nothing, especially one that is supposed to be, in part, about the importance of emotional connection, is a failure.
There were some good moments and some good acting (Meryl Streep is wonderful, although her part isn’t particularly well written), and if you haven’t read the book, you’ll probably like it.
But it’s really not worth paying the 13.50 for a movie ticket. Wait for the DVD (or piracy, I suppose), and if you must see it, prepare for disappointment.
