The film opens with a black and white shot of a suburban town. Before any characters are even introduced, one thing struck me: the art direction is phenomenal in The Giver (based off of a 1993 novel). Prime examples are the angular architecture to the wide camera angles. The black and white is crisp, clean and adds significantly to the feeling that I just might be in a 1950’s movie.

However, that feeling is soon dispelled upon a closer look at this town. There are no roads, no cars, just a series of winding sidewalks. The houses look like something out of a cubist painting. Very early in the movie, a misconception is presented, then made clear, which is a recurring theme throughout the film.

From there, the protagonist is presented: Jonas, an average kid who feels like he can see something more. Sure enough, when he looks into the trees, the leaves fade to green for a brief second. Beyond Jonas’ color-seeing ability, he is a little more than a cardboard cut out. Frankly, he’s bland, respectful towards authority, polite to his friends… but, everyone has those qualities in this film. I felt like I was watching a second grade anti-bullying play. Furthermore, when a character says something potentially offensive, they follow it with an “I apologize.” Then, the other person responds with “I accept your apology.” Every. Time. The society in which Jonas lives has ridden itself of all individuality.

A job assignment ceremony takes place for Jonas and his peers. The Chief Elder, played by Meryl Streep, tells Jonas that he does not get a job, but is to study with a mysterious individual called The Giver, played by Jeff Bridges.

The film makes the slow progression from black and white to color, as Jonas is taught by this man, The Giver. It is the task of The Giver to remember all the aspects of humanity before the current society came to be and recall them to Jonas. Jonas discovers that everyone in the society is constantly drugged to inhibit feelings of love. They aren’t taught history, and are therefore unaware of war and other terrors.

This movie isn’t filled with alien wars or robot uprisings, rather, it’s filled with a society based on ignorance. It won’t have you on the edge of your seat; it will have you shifting in it. There’s something fundamentally unnerving about The Giver, and that something should be experienced for yourself.