‘The Giver’ offers new appreciation for life

Imagine a world where everything is black and white; a world where families are matched on compatibility and not love, a world where everyone is the same. This is the scene set up by Lowis Lowry in the movie adaptation of “The Giver.”
The movie starts right before the ceremony of Twelve, which is when all the kids in the class of Twelve are assigned to the jobs that they will hold until they retire and are released to Elsewhere. Jonas and his two best friends, Asher and Fiona, are all talking about the ceremony. Both Asher and Fiona have a good idea of which job they will be assigned, but Jonas has no idea.
When the ceremony takes place he is assigned to the highest position in to community, Receiver of Memory. He begins his training with a man he calls The Giver, and he begins to learn the secret history of his idyllic world.
Jonas’ training includes receiving, from The Giver, all of the emotions and memories of experiences that the Committee of Elders chose to give up so that the community could achieve Sameness and with that, the illusion of social order.
Before Jonas became the Receiver of Memory, he volunteered at the nurturing center, where babies are taken care of until they are assigned to families. There was one baby named Gabriel who was not performing as well as the other babies so Jonas’ father brought the baby home to see if they could nurse it to health.
In the meantime, Jonas receives memories about happiness, sadness, pain, loss, and love from The Giver. He realizes that he loves his family, Fiona, and Gabriel. He asks his family if they love him too and his mother scolds him for using a word that no longer has any application.
When Gabriel’s maturity stays the same with no sign of improvement, Jonas’ father tells him that Gabe must be released to Elsewhere. The next day at training, Jonas asks The Giver to show him a release. Jonas finds out that a release is actually a lethal injection. When he arrives at home Gabriel is gone and Jonas panics.
He rides his bike to The Giver’s house and tells The Giver that he must leave the community and take Gabriel with him to save the baby’s life. Jonas’ goal is to reach the Boundary of Memory to release all of the memories he has received to the community. He travels for days and when he finally reaches the barrier, Gabriel is starving and Jonas is tired.
The movie ends without revealing what happened to the citizens of the community once they were given the memories back because Lowry wanted the readers of her book and the movie viewers to determine the outcome themselves.
Jonas had quite the struggle when he was introduced to emotions that he had never experienced before. Feelings like love and pain shocked him and made him more aware of his surroundings and his interactions with people.
Most people today have sight and smell. Most people can see colors and feel love and loss. These are all things that I have taken for granted, and as I was watching this movie I gained a new appreciation for the life that I have been given the opportunity to live.
There isn’t somebody constantly watching and monitoring my daily activities, and I am given the freedom to make choices that suit me. I have loved and lost, and I have endured great pain. Watching Jonas struggle through these experiences has made me appreciate the beauty in every memory that I have.
Overall, “The Giver” was uplifting and inspiring. While it is an emotion-provoking film, it is also suspenseful and kept my complete interest. I would recommend this film to everyone I know; young, old, and everywhere in-between.
P.S. it’s on Netflix, so take a couple hours out of your busy schedule to gain a new appreciation for all the good and bad things in your life. You will not regret it.