THE GIVER (12A)

WHO’S IN IT?

Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Brenton Thwaites (Maleficent), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), Odeya Rush (The Odd Life of Timothy Green), Katie Holmes (Batman Begins), Taylor Swift (Valentine’s Day), Cameron Monaghan (Click), Emma Tremblay (Elysium)

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger), director; Michael Mitnick (film debut) and Robert B. Weide (Mother Night), writers; Jeff Bridges (Tron), Neil Koenigsberg (A Walk on the Moon) and Nikki Silver (The Puzzle Place), producers; Marco Beltrami (The Hurt Locker), composer; Ross Emery (The Wolverine), cinematographer; Barry Alexander Brown (25th Hour), editor

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

In a dystopian future that promotes no colour, no conflict and no emotions, a young man named Jonas (Thwaites) is chosen to learn about the ways of the past world from a mysterious figure known as The Giver (Bridges). As he comes to realise that the world he has grown up in is fake and hides a much darker secret, Jonas grows determined to escape and discover the truth…

IN ONE SENTENCE, WHY SHOULD YOU BE EXCITED?

Lois Lowry’s popular children’s book is given a glossy adaptation complete with a starry A-list cast – including Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep to name a few – and a strong director in the form of Phillip Noyce to give it the edge over similar dystopia-set stories of late.

WHEN’S IT OUT?

FRIDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER 2014

Search from over ten years of movies here:

Other recent reviews:

Good Fortune (dir. Aziz Ansari)

A guardian angel meddles in the lives of a wealthy entrepreneur and a struggling gig worker…

Plainclothes (dir. Carmen Emmi)

An undercover police officer falls for his latest target…

Tron: Ares (dir. Joachim Rønning)

A super-intelligent program is sent from the digital world to ours for a bold mission…

Good Boy (dir. Ben Leonberg)

A loyal dog witnesses his owner succumb to supernatural forces…

I Swear (dir. Kirk Jones)

A young man with Tourette’s syndrome struggles to live with his condition…

BFI London Film Festival 2025 Reviews: The Secret Agent, Twinless and more!

Our first collection of reviews from this year’s BFI London Film Festival includes write-ups on some of the most anticipated titles from this year’s edition, including Sirât, Left-Handed Girl and others!

Him (dir. Justin Tipping)

An aspiring football player is put through a testing regime by a former quarterback…

The Smashing Machine (dir. Benny Safdie)

Former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr helps usher in a new era for the sport…

The Lost Bus (dir. Paul Greengrass)

A bus driver rescues a classroom from a destructive wildfire…

Urchin (dir. Harris Dickinson)

A homeless man attempts to turn his life around…

Optimized by Optimole