THE GIVER

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the “real” world. — IMDB

Better than I thought it would be. I enjoy post apocalyptic dystopian movies, the best of recent ones being Snowpiercer. THE GIVER is nowhere near as good as that one, but presents some interesting ideas in a fresh way. Anyone who wants to live in a perfect “heaven” where there is no pain, suffering, or potential for humans to make wrong choices needs to check this one out! Jeff Bridges is the best of the actors in his role as the titular “Giver”. Meryl Streep is not bad and the young cast do a decent job in their roles. The most interesting thing about the movie are the ideas we are asked to consider, particularly the role of memory in making us truly human. The story wobbles at the end with a dissatisfying conclusion that doesn’t have anywhere near the same intensity as the rest of the story. But, overall, a thoughtful addition to the genre.

***1/2