Jeff Bridges plays an atypical role for him -- a mysterious, wise old man. Meryl Streep plays the chief bureaucrat, well intentioned, but icy. Brenton Thwaites plays Jonas a perfectly handsome young man, genetically designed for perfection, somewhat bland who is charged with being the repository of banned memories for the community.
This movie takes place in the future after some ruinous global war. The powers that be have decided they must chemically suppress most emotion, and keep from everyone any memory of violence, starvation or evil, love, music or emotion. There is no believable explanation for suppressing the positive.
Only two people are permitted to remember the past or to feel positive and negative emotion. They do not submit themselves to physical torture.
It is a very regimented authoritarian society. People are assigned their careers. Babies are assigned to families for care. The death penalty is used for the slightest transgression. It is administered painlessly and compassionately.
In parts of the movie, my corn-o-meter went off the scale. For example when crowds would chant "Jonas" for no apparent reason. There would often be wordless montages to show joy or evil with trite images.
Jonas seemed highly attached to his adopted baby brother, but spends no time with him. That did not ring true for me.
Most of the movie is fairly realistic with a dose of woo. Thoughts can pass from person to person by touching arms. The entire mentality of a city changed from some magic ray triggered because a boy went on a sleigh ride past a tower. This is goofier than a comic book plot.
The movie is done like the Wizard of Oz, mostly in black and white but with touches of colour to suggest emotion.
This movie takes place in the future after some ruinous global war. The powers that be have decided they must chemically suppress most emotion, and keep from everyone any memory of violence, starvation or evil, love, music or emotion. There is no believable explanation for suppressing the positive.
Only two people are permitted to remember the past or to feel positive and negative emotion. They do not submit themselves to physical torture.
It is a very regimented authoritarian society. People are assigned their careers. Babies are assigned to families for care. The death penalty is used for the slightest transgression. It is administered painlessly and compassionately.
In parts of the movie, my corn-o-meter went off the scale. For example when crowds would chant "Jonas" for no apparent reason. There would often be wordless montages to show joy or evil with trite images.
Jonas seemed highly attached to his adopted baby brother, but spends no time with him. That did not ring true for me.
Most of the movie is fairly realistic with a dose of woo. Thoughts can pass from person to person by touching arms. The entire mentality of a city changed from some magic ray triggered because a boy went on a sleigh ride past a tower. This is goofier than a comic book plot.
The movie is done like the Wizard of Oz, mostly in black and white but with touches of colour to suggest emotion.