A Utopia That’s Not As Perfect As It Seems

Readers have been waiting quite a while for Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel, “The Giver,” to get adapted for the big screen.  When I read it for the first time in seventh grade, it became one of my favorite books that I read in the classroom.  Although I didn’t think too much about it being a movie back then, I’ve thought over the past few years that the novel could make for an interesting one.  I just recently reread the novel in preparation for the movie, but I wasn’t sure if the movie could live up to what I got out of the book.

Unfortunately, as I predicted, the film has many shortcomings.  Directed by Phillip Noyce, “The Giver” has a few noteworthy elements, but the way the rest of the story and characters are handled doesn’t make this movie worthy of the wait.

After certain catastrophes brought ruin to the world, a futuristic society has gotten rid of elements that create differences, such as colors, race, religion and emotions, and all memories of the past have been erased.  Everyone has conformed to a life of sameness.

In this society, Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is nervous about the upcoming ceremony that will give his age group their lifetime assignments.  At the ceremony, he’s surprised to find out that he will be the next Receiver of Memory, a position that requires him to meet with The Giver (Jeff Bridges), who will provide Jonas with memories of the past that will help him learn what life used to be like many years ago, memories that will also be used to give the Elders guidance when facing uncertainty.  After several sessions with the Giver, Jonas will come to question the quality of life within the community and whether or not it was right for its inhabitants to be placed in a life of sameness.

At the start of the film, Brenton Thwaites displays the youthful curiosity that I expected in the character of Jonas, and I thought he’d be passable in the role.  As the film goes on, however, he doesn’t provide the intense emotion that should be shown in the film’s bigger scenes, particularly  the one where he discovers a grim responsibility that his father’s job entails.  If you read the book, you’ll know the scene to which I’m referring.

One of the few things that saves this film is the casting of Jeff Bridges as The Giver.  Bridges imbues his role with the demeanor of a person with extensive wisdom, and that’s exactly what the character needs.  As an individual who knows what the world used to be like, Bridges expertly shows The Giver as someone burdened by what he’s been keeping bottled up.

Meryl Streep appears as the community’s Chief Elder, a character that’s needlessly extended for the film.  Being one of the most talented actresses to ever work in movies, this is a role that seems to be below someone of her abilities.  Throughout the movie, she’s given almost nothing to do other than be the typical menacing authority figure for the protagonist to rebel against, just like what audiences have seen in recent young-adult adaptations.

Some of the film’s limited praiseworthiness comes with Ross Emery’s cinematography, which, along with Bridges’ performance, is one of the film’s only laudable factors.  The first 20-25 minutes are all photographed in black and white to give the audience a better idea of the community’s sameness.  Once Jonas begins to receive memories, the colors gradually become more prominent, but just in the scenes involving him because he’s the only one, besides The Giver, who can see in color, while the scenes without him remain in black and white.  This all helps to emphasize the gift that grants Jonas a sense of individuality.

Although the film is based on a children’s novel, the screenplay by Michael Mitnick and Robert B. Weide makes some alterations which, if I had to guess, are meant to cash in on the popularity of current young-adult fiction.  Some of these differences include changing the ages of Jonas and his friends from 12 to what looks to be between 16 and 18, unnecessarily drawing out the relationship shared by Jonas and his love interest, Fiona (Odeya Rush), so to meet the teen-romance quota, and the expanded presence of the aforementioned Chief Elder character.  The focus that’s placed on these aspects of the film takes away from what could have been more time dedicated to interactions between Jonas and The Giver; not that there wasn’t enough of it, but a little more certainly wouldn’t have hurt.

Director Phillip Noyce injects some artfulness into the film with Jeff Bridges’ performance, the cinematography and set design, but it’s the story and most of the other interpretations of the characters that seem to hold him back.  I feel as though he did as well as he could with the material he had, but might have been able to do even better if he was given a screenplay that was more faithful to the book.  Using such a script, along with the few things that ended up working for the film, would have probably resulted in an adaptation that matched the source material’s powerful narrative.  

If you want to experience this story in the best way possible, get swept away in the pages of the novel instead.

Final grade: C

Bartending While Dealing with Past Sins

When brought to seedy, crime-ridden territories in film, what’s interesting is how repulsive, yet intriguing they can be for the viewer.  Michaël R. Roskam’s crime drama, “The Drop,” has the audience visit these undesirable places that are wrapped up in the shadowy workings of organized crime, capturing the dirty and dangerous dealings of everyone involved.

In the Brooklyn area, several bars are used as “drops,” where money is delivered, and then picked up by local crime rings.  Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) and his older cousin, Marv (James Gandolfini), work at one such bar, which used to be owned by the latter, but is know “owned” by a group of gangsters.  One night during closing, a pair of masked men enter the bar and rob it.  When the bar’s “owner” and his crew find out that it was their money that was stolen, the two cousins try to figure out a way to get it back, while also dealing with a police investigation that threatens to disclose some of the community’s biggest secrets.

Tom Hardy has really established himself as a commendable leading man in film.  As a character who is involved in relationships with gangsters, but trying to make his life more honorable at the same time, Hardy shows the conflicted nature of Bob.  The character is trying to develop himself into a softer soul, but is still battling his hardened past as someone who used to want the rough life of crime, and Hardy expertly plays both sides of this role so we know the kind of person he is now, and who he once was.

James Gandolfini, in his final film performance before his passing last year, gives us something a little different in his tough-guy repertoire than what we’re normally used to seeing.  Having played mafioso Tony Soprano on “The Sopranos” for almost a decade, you can’t help but think of Gandolfini playing characters who have an intimidating presence.  In this film, however, it’s interesting to watch how restrained that persona is.  Considering that Gandolfini plays a character who used to be respected and feared in his neighborhood, this downplaying of toughness fits very well with Marv’s insecurities.  It gives audiences the opportunity to see a different side to a type of character that Gandolfini became known for playing. 

Noomi Rapace, who plays Bob’s love interest, Nadia, displays her talent admirably, despite the way her role is written.  Although she does adequate work in her scenes with Hardy, her character pretty much doesn’t become more than a crime-drama girl-in-distress near the end.

The screenplay by Dennis Lehane, which is his first and is based on his short story, “Animal Rescue,” is another addition to his works that include descents into modern hellish environments.  We’ve seen these kinds of backdrops in film adaptations of his novels, such as Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone” and Clint Eastwood’s “Mystic River,” movies that display their sordid settings in suitably gritty detail, and “The Drop” succeeds in bringing that same atmosphere to its story.

Just like Lehane’s other works, the narrative leaves you with certain aspects that are open for interpretation, encouraging you to ask questions after the film ends, and it may even benefit from a second viewing.  Throughout the film, it becomes more and more interesting as you try and figure out the characters’ motives and whose side everyone is on.  The screenplay has a couple of flaws, but this was an acceptable first effort by Lehane for screenwriting, and if he writes another screenplay in the future, I’m sure he will be able to pen another intricate, crime-focused story.

Director Michaël R. Roskam can now be added to the list of directors who have competently adapted Lehane’s works for film.  Despite the movie not ranking quite as high as other films based on Lehane’s stories, Roskam is able to stage scenes of heated tension that are a staple of Lehane’s narratives.  Roskam’s understanding of a tale about a man who’s trying to redeem himself from his dark history and his cousin who’s trying to hold onto whatever little respect and fear he has left from those in his community is what gives the film its impact.

Lehane’s stories have secrets woven into them that beg to be found out, and that’s what you can expect from “The Drop.”

Final grade: B+