“The Giver” by Lois Lowry has drawn the attention of many since its publication. It was the winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal and has now sold over 10 million copies. The book tells the story of a young boy, Jonas, and his journey to find his destiny. The story is set in a community based on conformity and structure without color or emotions. Jonas is chosen as his community’s next Receiver of Memories, a role only taken on by few because of its strenuous tasks. As the Receiver of Memories, he is given the ability to see and hear things that nobody else would understand except his mentor. Jonas is able to see wonderful memories from the past like snow in the winter, animals in the jungle, and love at a wedding. Jonas can hear music played on the streets of foreign countries and on the piano in the Giver’s house, but while he enjoys these visions, he is forced to see the memories he doesn’t want to see like war and animals dying. He soon realizes the immense difficulty of carrying pain from the past around with him, and struggles with how to use his newfound knowledge. While Jonas battles to do what’s right, he his challenged with keeping his new information from his childhood best friend, confidante, and crush, Fiona, which creates trouble.

The director did a good job of keeping the movie similar to the book by picking a cast that depicts the true characters from the book, and by representing a good sense of Jonas’s community. I loved the beginning of the movie when everything was in black in white like how it was in the book because I really felt like I was there. Jonas’s vision of color was portrayed well also because the viewer could see exactly what Jonas was seeing when he was first able to see red in Fiona’s hair and in an apple. Another part I liked was the portrayal of elsewhere, and how they showed it as a mystery that nobody knew about. My favorite part of the movie however, was the visions of the past like weddings, animals, and culture in different places that The Giver showed Jonas. It was enjoyable to watch Jonas experience color and music and weather that he’d never experienced before. Whether you’ve read the book or are just looking for a good Friday night flick, “The Giver” will provide you with the perfect amount of suspense and emotion, and is an absolute must see.