Brenton Thwaites as Jonas in The Giver
Do you like dystopian novels? Do you enjoy Academy Award winning actors? Do you remember reading Lois Lowry when you were younger? If so, The Giver movie will definitely be your cup of tea when it is released this summer.
All spoilers aside, The Giver is an award-winning novel that has been incorporated into middle school curriculum across the country. Since Philip Noyce is directing a movie adaptation, people who did not have a chance to get their first taste of dystopia from this book can now choose to watch it play out on screen.
With Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Swift, and Brenton Thwaites, The Giver film will hopefully do Lois Lowry’s 1993 release justice. The novel focuses on a 12 year old boy, Jonas, as he slowly unravels the secrets to the so called “perfect” community he and his family reside in. In an intent to keep some of the plot points covert, I picked out four events in the novel that will be interesting to see adapted on screen.
1. The first memory The Giver shows Jonas
Jonas’ world is turned upside down once The Giver shows him images of memories. The first of which Jonas sees a sled and some snow. While it may not make sense to people who have yet to read the book (it’s under 200 pages if you’re interested) the seemingly meaningless winter weather and sled is pretty symbolic towards the end.
2. The “colorblind” inhabitants of Jonas’ world
If you read The Giver, you know that the members of the society the book takes place in do not see color. Jonas eventually sees in color, but it will be fascinating to see what types of cinematography the movie will use to depict this phenomenon. Should viewers expect a Wizard of Oz like transition, or something more sophisticated?
When Jonas starts to figure out what is really going on in this “perfect, orderly,” society, it is a horrifying and tragic moment. Sometimes with words, the feelings portrayed can affect you greatly, however in this case, actually watching the events on screen might be closer to emotionally scarring.
4. The bittersweet ending
Lowry gave readers an ambiguous ending so they could decide what actually happens next. Although many assumed the best for Jonas and his companion, the film may attempt to give readers closure and clarity. Which is, in this case, something to look forward to.
The Giver is set to come out August 15, 2014.
