[young man] After The Ruin, we started over,
creating a new society,
one of true equality.
Rules were the building blocks of that equality.
We learned them as Newchildren.
Rules like:
[electronic voice] Injected.
My name is Jonas.
I don't have a last name.
None of us did.
That day, the day before graduation,
I admit it, I was scared.
Tomorrow we'd be assigned our jobs, our purpose.
It seemed everyone knew theirs already.
Not me.
I was lost.
I always felt like I saw things
differently,
saw things other people didn't.
I never said anything.
I didn't want to be different.
Who would?
- [bell dinging] - Jonas.
I apologize, we're late.
I got Asher to come say goodbye to Teacher.
I accept your apology.
[Jonas] Asher and Fiona,
we'd been friends our whole lives.
Asher was the boy who made everyone laugh.
Fiona, well,
she was the girl who made everyone smile.
Take that back!
Whoever is listening, please, please,
do not make me Vice Chancellor of Waste Management!
Please!
[Jonas] We lived in a world
where differences weren't allowed.
There was no "popular."
No fame.
No losers and no winners.
Our Elders had eliminated all of that
so there'd be no conflict between us.
Fear, pain, envy, hate,
they weren't words so much as sounds.
Their echoes were gone, to the other side of history.
I'm asked if I should apologize for what I did.
I'll let you decide.
[Fiona] I'm going to miss volunteering here.
[Asher] Oh, no. If ever there was a person born
to work at the Nurturing Center...
I could be surprised, right?
Jonas, if you had to guess,
of all the positions the elders picked for me?
Nurturing Center.
[clunking]
[electronic voice] Welcome to the Nurturing Center.
[babies fussing, crying]
I got this. I got this.
- Think heavy. Think heavy. - Come on, come on.
[Fiona] We win!
Aren't you my chubby champion?
- Which one was heavier? - [Fiona] Mine.
Asher?
[babies crying]
Father, I think Fiona put her finger on the scale.
I did not.
[baby crying]
[crying continues]
Aw, this little guy didn't qualify for tomorrow's ceremony.
[Father] He's just not strong enough to be assigned to a family yet.
[crying]
He looks so unhappy.
- [crying continues] - Hey...
It's okay, Jonas, you can open it.
Yeah, it's Jonas.
Here, let me.
[Fiona] Oh, There you go. There you go.
[baby quieting]
- [whispering] It's okay. - Some people have it, huh?
Well, that's just not fair.
Be strong, Gabriel.
You looked at his name?
Isn't that against the rules?
Yeah, it, it is.
I just thought having a name might help him grow.
So I whisper it to him when no one can hear.
Sometimes I call him Gabe.
[Father] But he's usually so restless,
I, I'm not even sure he can hear me.
You okay?
Huh? Yeah.
I'm fine.
So the old man turns to the Elder and says,
"Do you know who I am?"
And the Elder says, "Sir, I know you're old,
but that is no excuse for being prideful."
And then the old man says,
"No, really, I'm asking.
- Who am I?" - [Jonas and Asher laughing]
[Fiona] I don't get it.
[Asher] "Who am I?" like, like he forgot who he was.
[electronic chiming]
Okay, but wouldn't the joke be better
- if the old man says... - [Asher and Jonas] Okay, one...
- What? - ...two...
...three! - [both grunting]
- [both laughing] - [Fiona groans]
Aren't we graduates now?
[Asher] You do this every time!
- Come on! - Okay!
One, two, three! [shrieks]
[laughing]
[Asher] There you go.
[laughing]
So, I guess this is it.
The last night of our childhood.
I guess everything is gonna be different.
No.
Tomorrow the only thing that changes is what we do.
It doesn't change who we are.
Quick question: Who are we?
Ff lends.
- [Asher] Friends forever. - [Fiona] Yes.
Even when you're both assigned to be Birth Mothers.
[Jonas] Hey!
Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow, huh?
[electronic voice] Citizens are reminded
that evening recreation will end in 30 minutes.
Thank you.
[Mother] Well, he did need to be rehabilitated.
And I know he was Lily's Teacher, but what was I supposed to do?
- [Father] Hmm.
[Mother] I feel...
...disappointment.
What was the Elders' decision?
Released to Elsewhere.
Can I be "Released to Elsewhere," Mother?
Even just for one day?
No, you're too young, Lily Billy.
Jonas, your turn for Feelings.
Well, I guess I'm sort of...
...terrified.
Precision of language.
I mean anxious.
When you were about to graduate,
did you ever feel like there was no position meant for you?
They've been watching since you were a Newchild.
The Elders are never wrong.
[Father] You'll find your place.
[male voice over speaker] Welcome, citizens,
to the annual Ceremony of Advancement.
Please stand by for a transmission.
Good morning, Community.
[audience members in unison] Good morning, Chief Elder.
I apologize for my remote attendance.
[audience members in unison] We accept your apology.
I can't be at every Ceremony in person.
But here's a secret:
you are my favorite Community.
However, because we do not lie,
I readily admit I say that to every Community.
[all laughing]
[Chief Elder] Beginnings...
From disorder and chaos,
from great suffering, great pain.
From confusion and envy and hatred
came a solution:
Communities.
Serene, beautiful places where disorder became harmony.
[chuckling gently] Let me get through it.
[applause continues]
Oh, fine.
It begins.
The Ceremony.
Ceremony of the Release to Elsewhere,
honoring the elderly citizens who have devoted their work
to the beauty and harmony of our beloved Community,
and are now ready for joyous retirement to Elsewhere.
Celebrating the Newchildren,
proudly engineered by our esteemed geneticists.
[audience in unison] Abigail.
[Chief Elder] Produced by our honored Birth Mothers...
- [audience in unison] Aurelia. - [Chief Elder] ...these infants
will now join their assigned family units.
[audience in unison] Caleb.
[Chief Elder] Reaching their halfway mark towards graduation,
our Nines today receive a symbol
of their developing independence and responsibility.
[applause]
Celebrating the graduates who, today,
will be assigned their positions in our Community.
[whispering] Good luck.
[whispering] You, too.
All of your training has been
to help you fit in,
to curb any impulse that may set you apart from others,
but today, we honor your differences,
for they have determined your future.
Here are the Leaders and the Teachers
and the Workers and Birth Mothers of tomorrow,
and I think we're in very good hands.
Number one, Madeline. [applause]
Birth Mother.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number two, Ross.
Instructor of the Middles.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 51, Asher.
Unruly, careless.
Sometimes those most in need of responsibility
learn best by being the practitioners of it.
Drone Pilot.
Thank you for your childhood.
You can keep it!
[laughter]
Thanks!
[Chief Elder] Number 53, A yanda.
Recreation Leader.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 54, Kathy.
They skipped Jonas.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 78, Lloyd.
Geneticist.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 83, Yara.
[Chief Elder continues indistinctly]
Number 96, Chris.
Food maintenance.
Number 100, Quinn.
Caretaker of the Old.
Number 104, Fiona.
From the beginning,
it was clear Fiona flourished working with Newchildren.
Fiona...
Nurturer.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 105, Lucia.
Instructor of the Twelves.
Number 120, Jack.
Department of Justice...
...Assistant.
[continues indistinctly] . . . Nutrition Technician.
Thank you for your childhood.
Number 150, Pierre.
Groundskeeper.
Thank you for your childhood.
You feel I have made a mistake.
I apologize to my Community.
[audience in unison] We accept your apology.
Number 52, please step forward.
Jonas has not been assigned a position.
Jonas has been selected.
We were not hasty this time. We could not afford another failure.
Jonas possesses all four attributes:
intelligence, integrity, courage,
and one I can name, but I cannot describe
the capacity to see beyond.
But I must warn you, your training involves pain.
Pain far beyond anything we know.
Are you strong enough?
Do we think Jonas is brave enough?
[applause]
Jonas, you have been selected
as our next Receiver of Memory.
Thank you for your childhood.
Jonas“...
[Elder and audience chanting] Jonas.Jonas.Jonas.Jonas.
Jonas.Jonas.Jonas.
Jonas.Jonas. Jonas.Jonas.Jonas.
[chanting continues, growing louder]
[chanting continues]
[Lily] Help me up, please.
[Mother] Okay, this foot, yeah.
That one, you got it.
Sit back, sit back.
Is Jonas now more powerful than you?
- [Mother] Shh. - What did the Chief Elder mean
when she said, "We cannot afford another failure"?
Well, ten years ago, the Receiver...
We do not speak of it.
You've been greatly honored.
You've got it! Go, go, go! You've got it, got it, got it!
- I can do it. - I should probably catch Lily.
- [Mother] Good! - [Lily] I can ride!
[Mother] Good, Lily!
[Giver] Receiver of Memory.
Five rules.
One: Report directly to the Receiver of Memory
for your training.
After training, return immediately to your dwelling.
[Giver] Two: From this moment,
you are exempt from all rules governing rudeness.
You may ask any question.
Three: Aside from your daily injection,
you may not receive other medicines,
especially those for pain.
[electronic voice] Injected. S- 7- 5- 2.
[Giver] Four: You may not discuss your training with anyone.
Even.
Yours look so important.
I don't know. I stick out.
Well, yeah, there's only one Receiver of Memory.
Two.
What did they say again?
You have the capacity to see beyond?
[chuckles softly] Yeah.
Can't wait to hear every single detail.
[Giver] Five: You may lie.
[Jonas] Asher and I, we used to dare each other
to get close to his place.
It was built right on the Edge.
We'd all heard of people getting lost to the Edge,
never to be seen again.
And yet, here I was,
being told that I'd have to get close to it every day,
for the rest of my life.
[electronic voice] Welcome.
Uh, um, hi.
- I'm Jonas. I'm... - Please gaze at the sensor.
[clicks, whirrs]
[beeps] Welcome, Receiver of Memory.
[door creaking]
[Giver] They're called books.
Your books.
- [Jonas] My name is... - I know who you are.
Of course.
I apologize.
[sighs]
I apologize.
Don't say that.
"I apologize."
Don't apologize to me
ever again.
Not here.
We haven't the time.
"I apologize."
That's an automatic pleasantry.
It doesn't mean anything.
I apologize. I'm sorry.
I mean...
We are here for only one purpose.
Simply stated,
although it isn't really simple at all,
I will transmit to you all the memories
that I hold within me.
Memories of the past.
I would be very interested to learn about your life.
No, no. Not...
Not my life.
You will learn the secret history of the world.
Before me, before you, generations...
Back and back and back.
When things were different, when there was more.
More?
The chair.
You see, no one in our Community
has any memory of the past.
Only me.
When the...
Elders need guidance on matters that are
beyond their experience,
I provide wisdom.
That is now your role.
To provide guidance in the present using memories of the past.
Move closer.
Where to begin?
Move closer.
Closer.
There is no way for me to prepare you
for what I'm going to do now.
You can take comfort in knowing
you are completely helpless.
[sighs]
If any of this proves too much for you,
tell me immediately.
I just have...
flaughsl
[distorted exhale]
[chuckles]
[exhales]
[choir singing faintly]
[choir] ♪ Holy night
XAHA'
' [gasps]
That was...
It was...
How did that happen?
What do you mean, how? lthappened.
But it's impossible.
And yet, it happened.
Well, why?
Why don't we have...
Th...
That thing?
Go on. The memories, they give you the word.
It's not a "thing." It's...
- Sled. - Sled.
And the...
flaughsl
- Snow. - Snow.
Did my parents have them? Did you?
No, no. It's a very distant memory.
Simply stated,
there is no snow because of climate control.
But why don't people know about them?
I mean, what's so dangerous about the memory of a sled?
What's so dangerous?
Mm... for a sled, you need snow.
Snow is cold.
Cold destroys crops.
Which meant farmers couldn't farm.
Unpredictable weather,
hills, mountains,
made it difficult to transport food.
Then we had hunger, starvation, famine.
Everything is connected, everything is a balance.
With good there is always bad.
- The two... - Show me more.
Let's go for a walk.
A real one, with your legs.
At the bottom of the hill, I saw something.
Like a place.
- Home. - Home. Yes.
Home? Like a dwelling?
- [man] Receiver. - [man] Afternoon.
No. It is different.
A dwelling is not a home.
A home is more.
[Jonas] Your instructions said I can lie.
Do you lie?
All the time.
Mostly for personal amusement.
But I won't lie to you.
How do I know that's not a lie?
[chuckles]
There was someone else before me.
What happened to them?
One more question.
If I'm now the Receiver, what does that make you?
Well, then that must make me...
The Giver.
So, how was it?
It was good.
What'd you do?
We just talked.
What else?
That's it.
- You seem different. - How do you mean?
[indistinct voices nearby]
- [baby crying] - He can't settle down,
no matter what I do.
And you said you'd look after him.
- [Father] I know, I know. - [woman] I apologize.
[Father] I accept your apology.
- Thank you, Dinah. - Thank you.
- [baby crying] - Hey.
[continues crying]
Gabriel?
How does Jonas know the child's name?
Jonas met Gabriel the other day.
[Lily] Look at him! He's so cute!
- [Lily] Hello. Hi. - Would you like
to issue me a warning, Director of Justice?
It's just for a while, Mother.
Till the little guy catches up.
I think we're all in agreement that he sleeps in my room.
[Mother] Only if the Elders say it's okay.
[Lily] They will.
[Father] Yeah. Lily, give me your Comfort Object.
Come on, Lily. It's time for bed.
- Look at this. - [Lily] Bye, baby.
This is a mythical creature called a hippo.
And it's incredibly fast,
because it has two, three, four,
fivelegs.
[Jonas] We had the same mark.
I almost didn't need to see his to know.
But I felt it.
- [panting] Felt that one day,
Gabriel would be chosen, too.
A hippo, Gabe.
[chuckles]
Yeah.
[insect buzzing]
[buzzing continues]
[buzzing stops]
QM!
That's the pain they all talk about.
No. Not even close. Did you...
It had a face.
Wait, was that thing alive?
Don't skip ahead.
Did you notice anything about it?
Yes. It hurt.
No. Any quality?
Well, maybe.
I think I saw it in my friend Fiona's hair.
My first was yellow. [chuckles]
If you thought the sled was special...
[rapid thumping]
[gasps]
Oh, whoa!
It's...
...red.
- Just like her hair. - Yes.
[Giver] There's red, green, blue, many different colors.
You'll see them all in time.
When our people, they chose to do away with all of them,
color, race, religion, they created Sameness.
If we were different, we could be envious,
angry,
or resentful, consumed with hatred.
We need Sameness.
Don't you think?
Oh, I completely agree.
But still...
It's all so
beautiful.
[voice-over] They'd always said Elsewhere was so far away,
but it wasn't.
It was right there.
Close enough to touch.
Jonas?
Have you fallen?
Do you need immediate help?
- No. I was just... - [Fiona laughs]
What's going on with you?
Nothing is going on with me.
No, you're right, it's totally normal
to lie in the grass and stare at the sky.
No, I was just...
You're seeing something, aren't you?
Can't you tell me?
Give me your hands.
[Jonas] What do you see?
- Oh, my goodness. - You see it?
[Fiona] Yes.
It's water.
No, come on, concentrate.
Um... Hi.
Jonas was just teaching me about his training.
As you can see, it's incredibly interesting.
Can't be half as great as mine.
Care to have your minds blown?
[whooshing]
[Fiona] Whoa!
Do you know how to fly those?
Absolutely.
Sort of.
I'm learning.
When I'm flying, looking down at everything,
it's like I'm seeing things for the very first time.
You get to fly into Elsewhere?
Oh, yeah.
Once, when I was looking at that mist,
even though they tell us there's nothing close to the Edge,
I thought I saw a tree out there somewhere.
[Asher] Well, don't get too excited.
I've actually seen Elsewhere.
It's just mostly our farms, weird rocks, that kind of stuff.
What's weird about them?
There's these two huge rocks
leaning against each other,
making a kind of
triangle.
Hey, it's kind of like our triangle.
What's past there?
Don't know.
We're not allowed to fly past that.
So many secrets.
[Asher] So what are your secrets?
[Jonas] Uh, nothing.
What do you mean, "Uh, nothing"?
You're Receiver of Memory.
Maybe I can show you.
- Okay, grab a tray. - [Asher] What?
Bring it over to the solar panel. Come on.
Now this might seem a little funny, but you got to trust me.
Okay, sit down on the tray.
- Careful. - You're not gonna...
- What, you're scared? - I'm scared of nothing.
I don't know, it's just...
It's against the rules, Jonas.
Since when do you care about the rules?
Actually, I have auxiliary training.
I'll see you guys.
[Fiona] Look who grew up, but lucky for you, I haven't.
[chuckles] Okay?
NOW, go!
[Fiona screams]
[Jonas shouts happily]
[yells]
[both yelling]
[chuckles]
Put your heels down to slow it!
[heels squeaking]
[laughing]
I think your training might be a bit
- more fun than mine. - [electronic voice] Please stand by
for a Community announcement.
Citizens are reminded that it is impolite to touch
community members outside your family unit.
Thank you.
[Giver] He's punctual.
- He's inquisitive. - [Chief Elder] How inquisitive?
He's interested in his position.
Then why is he breaking the rules?
He has been observed trying to share his training
with his former classmates.
That always happens.
[Giver] But it's an impossible experiment.
Even I tried to share the memories
back when I was in training...
If you remember.
So,
forget about it.
I don't tell you what to do in your position, so don't tell me.
I apologize, but isn't that what's happening now?
Your apology is accepted, but you are being careless.
[whispers] You're moving too fast.
We both know what happened ten years ago with the girl.
The girl had a name.
You think I don't remember her name?
I know you feel her loss.
The boy must hold in the pain.
Don't fail us again.
You want me to read all these?
Hmm.
What's this?
"One day you shall meet a boy
who answers to the name of Jonas."
"He shall be the most powerful of all the Receivers."
Wait. That says...
Don't be gullible.
Another trick?
Actually, no.
It's some kind of
map.
The Triangle of Rocks!
Hey, that's real, my friend Asher saw it.
Look at all these towers.
What were they for?
How did your friend see the Triangle of Rocks?
He's a pilot. He told me he saw it.
What's past there?
A mystery.
[Jonas] "Boundary of Memory"? Is that what they built
so the memories would only stay within you and me?
Let's move on.
Wait.
That boundary is meant to keep memories in.
So if a Receiver crosses it,
does that mean the memories get set free?
Perhaps.
Perhaps if you or I crossed it,
everyone could feel those memories again.
So, what am I seeing today?
Nothing.
- [whirring, clacking] - You're seeing nothing today.
We've already covered "seeing beyond."
There is also such a thing as "hearing beyond."
A table?
All the food would slide to the floor.
Now, don'tjudge me. [chuckles]
I'm not very good,
even though I had a very good Teacher.
[playing notes in minor key]
Music.
[plays flat note]
Well, music when I hit the right keys.
[playing notes in minor key]
[playing melancholy song]
Just like music,
there's something else you can't see with your eyes.
Something that lives deep inside you.
Something those morning injections take away.
But I thought the injections are for our health.
No, they remove something.
What?
Emotions.
[tempo increases]
You mean like feelings?
Feelings are just fleeting.
On the surface.
But emotions,
they're very deep, primal.
They linger.
Now, Jonas...
...you might not understand
where you are or what's happening,
but don't think about what you're seeing.
Listen.
Listen to what's calling from inside.
[lively music playing]
[laughter, lively chatter]
[man] A beautiful wedding!
[tingling]
[lively music continues]
[crowd cheers]
[panting]
Why would anyone want to get rid of this?
Good question.
- [Jonas humming] - [Gabriel cooing]
What are you doing?
Take my hand.
Ready?
[continues humming]
You ready for the fast part?
- [humming faster] - [Lily laughing]
And turn!
Spin!
What are you doing with her?
Jonas says it's called dancing.
[both laugh]
[electronic voice] Please stand by for a transmission.
I apologize for my intrusion.
[family] We accept your apology.
I just wanted to say hello.
Hello.
I'm Lily.
Yes, I know.
You're a Nine now, isn't that right?
- Mm-hmm. - [Gabriel crying]
Lily, I think it's time for school.
- We should probably get going. - Hello, Jonas.
Hello.
How is your training?
[electronic voice] Injected.
Fine.
I am concerned about the Receiver.
[electronic voice] Injected.
Many years ago, there was an incident.
What kind of incident?
Living alone in a building on the Edge can isolate a person.
I'm concerned that the Receiver is becoming reckless.
Are you being properly prepared?
I think so.
You're focused?
Perhaps you're spending too much time
with friends from your childhood.
I'm focused.
Jonas, what do you and the Receiver actually do?
My rules say I'm not allowed to share.
She is the Chief Elder.
Jonas, she only wants to help.
You're right.
But you can't tell the Receiver I told you.
You have my word.
We sit in chairs and don't talk all day long.
And then when time is up, I come back here,
and in the morning, I do it all again.
I apologize, but I'm late.
Your apology is accepted.
Goodbye, Mother.
[electronic voice] Injected.
He's not usually like this.
I'm surprised you're not
more worried about him.
Were he my responsibility, I would be.
[Jonas] We'd been told the Chief Elder knew everything.
Things nobody else did.
[playing didgeridoo]
But I had learned that knowing what something is,
is not the same as knowing how something feels.
flaughsl
You get to be the very best,
the last one at the top of the mountain,
gasping for air, having survived, and be alone.
Be curious.
- [Jonas] I got lost. - [crowd cheering]
The good kind of lost.
I saw sights and sounds I had no words to describe.
[laughter]
Faces with flesh of all different colors.
I felt so alive.
This was forbidden?
I didn't know what to think, what to believe.
Have faith, the Giver told me.
He said faith, that was seeing beyond.
He compared it to the wind, something felt but not seen.
Don't accept... [chuckles]
What is the truth just because
it's coming from someone you respect.
[Jonas] I feel completely stupid.
- I have a weird feeling. - Weird?
- It tingles in your hands. - Yes.
Memories are not just about the past,
they determine our future.
You can change things.
You can make things better.
[Jonas] It was life.
It just seemed more complete.
The more I experienced, the more I wanted.
[Giver] Once, there were other living things.
But unlike us,
they knew who their mothers and fathers were.
They had Joy
and they had pain.
I can't prepare you for what's going to happen...
You don't need to warn me every single time.
No, Jonas, you don't understand.
There was tremendous cruelty.
Giver, I'm not a kid any more.
Show me.
[man] That's $250,000 of ivory.
Come on!
- Come on! - [gunfire]
Got him!
[Jonas] No, stop! Stop!
[sobbing softly]
Stop.
[Gabriel crying]
[crying continues]
Gabe.
Hey, hey.
Hey, hey, Gabe.
Gabe.
If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?
[crying Swps]
[chuckles]
I'll take that as a yes.
This Comfort Object
is not a hippo.
It's an elephant.
And once, it was real.
And it was beautiful.
[birds chirping]
[elephant trumpets]
[heart beats]
[elephant trumpets faintly]
[electronic voice] Citizens are reminded
that sleep period commences in 15 minutes.
Thank you.
[laughter, lively chatter]
[laughing]
[Jonas] It was like a memory,
but Fiona was there.
You had a dream.
- A what? - A dream.
A combination of reality, fantasy, emotions
and what you had for dinner.
[chuckles]
You've stopped taking your injections, haven't you?
The emotion was so strong.
And at the wedding,
everyone all together, laughing and dancing.
The old with the young, the bride and the groom,
there was something there.
But different to what we have.
Yes.
We don't have that any more.
What do you mean by "that"?
Well, I'm talking about what you feel for someone else.
And the mind can't explain it and you...
You can't make it go away.
What is it?
Love.
It's called love.
Love.
Oh, hi.
Hi.
So what's new?
[chuckles] What's new with you?
What's ever new?
Why are you being weird?
I'm not.
I'm just...
Hold on to the hippo, Gabe!
Hold on!
Father, do you love me?
[Mother] Jonas,
precision of language.
Please.
What does "love" mean?
- [Gabriel crying] - I got him, Lily.
Jonas used a word so antiquated
that it no longer has any application.
' Okay? ' Okay,
If you asked, "Do you enjoy me?" the answer is certainly yes.
Or do Mother and I take pride in your accomplishments?
Well, of course we do.
Do you understand?
Yes.
I think I finally do.
[crying loudly]
Hey!
Hey, Gabe!
- Ah! " [Cooing]
Ah.
Hmm.
Flaughsl
Boop- ah! Boop- ah!
- Boop- ah! ' Uaughs]
[whispers] I love you, Gabriel.
[cooing]
[dog squealing]
Whoa! Ho, ho, ho!
[cooing]
[squeaking]
[child laughing]
[cooing]
Giver, you were right!
I asked my family about love and...
Get down! Get down!
Giver!
They're in the trees!
They're in the trees, Robbie!
Get down! Get down!
Robbie, get down!
- Robbie, get down! - Stay down!
- It's an ambush! - I can't see them, man!
[rapid gunfire]
- They're in the trees. - [men shouting]
Stay down!
[frantic radio chatter]
- Medic! - [rocket whooshing]
[grunts]
[gunfire continues]
Robbie. Robbie.
- There's women firing on us. - Robbie.
[Man on radio] Listen, I'm certain they're firing on us.
[gunfire continues]
[men screaming]
[grunts]
- [yelling] ' [gasping]
[heart beats]
[panting]
Jonas.
What...
No. I'm sorry, Jonas.
How did people do that?
I didn't mean for you to receive that.
Not for years.
Don't let this turn you away.
I'm not strong enough.
Of course not yet!
But, Jonas, this is what we need to know
so we can advise.
I can't.
I'm sorry.
I just can't.
Jonas! Jonas! Jonas!
Come back!
Please! Come back inside!
[Giver] Let me explain it!
[girl] When you see something like that,
there's no explanation.
Rosemary, promise me you'll come back tomorrow.
Rosemary!
[voice-over] Promise me.
[children laughing]
[playful chatter]
[faint gunfire]
Hey, Jonas.
Come on. You're just in time.
- [girl shrieks, laughs] - [faint screaming, gunfire]
[Jonas] I didn't ever want to go back.
I didn't want the wisdom, didn't want the pain.
I wanted my childhood again.
Scraped knees and ball games.
Back then, we'd played war.
But war was real.
The Elders understood that.
They'd erased it from our world.
Maybe they were right.
[children continue laughing]
[cooing]
- Could you watch over Harry for me? - Of course.
[Fiona] Hey, what's wrong?
Nothing.
I know you.
You do, do you?
Yes.
What do you think would happen
if you skipped your morning injection?
If you skipped it.
Then the sensor would blink and remind me that I forgot it.
No, I don't mean if you forgot.
I mean, what do you think would happen if you chose
not to be injected?
Jonas, I thought something was wrong.
There is something wrong.
Everything is wrong.
I quit.
Fiona, I'm done being the Receiver.
Tomorrow morning, skip your injection.
What? You quit?
Prick your finger and put a little blood on this apple.
No, you can't quit.
If you quit your position, you get sent to Elsewhere.
When you leave in the morning, put the apple over the sensor.
It'll find your blood and think it's your hand.
Stop, you're scaring me.
Fiona, I need you to do this. I need you to feel what I know it's...
Jonas.
An apple wouldn't even work.
I've been doing it for months, and it's worked every single time.
Don't quit.
You can't leave.
I don't think I can go back to that place.
You will if you want me to do this.
Okay. Fine.
But tomorrow after work, meet me in the triangle.
[Jonas] I wanted to share it with her.
Not all of it.
The good things.
Was I wrong to want that?
I thought about her now,
all the time.
[door closes]
- [Rosemary] Hello? - [melancholy song playing]
I have something to show you.
[melancholy song continues]
Come here.
Who are you?
Come over and try this.
" Me?
[Rosemary] Yeah.
I want to teach you.
You've come back.
Where did you learn that?
From the memory you gave me.
[Giver] And you can just play it?
Mm- hmm.
That's beautiful.
- [Jonas] Who's that? - Thanks.
- This is Rosemary. - I'll show you.
The previous Receiver.
- See? - She's the one they all talk about.
[humming to music]
She no longer exists.
Remember? [continues humming]
Except here.
And in my memories.
[humming]
She was in training only two short months.
♪ Watch how my fingers move ♪
And like you,
she wanted to experience,
well, everything.
I only gave her pleasant, beautiful memories.
Three, four...
She fought me.
- Don't protect me. - No!
Don't show me a map and then not give me all the memories.
I thought we were gonna help.
We will, but we must move slow.
Show it to me.
You gave her war?
[Giver] I gave her the memory of a child...
A child taken from her mother.
I gave her loss.
Too soon.
You're gonna get the hang of this.
The light went from her eyes.
[humming]
The next morning, without telling me,
she went to the Chief Elder and asked to be Released.
So she was Released?
And now lives in Elsewhere?
[device chimes]
[electronic voice] Yes, Receiver?
I would like to see this morning's Release.
[electronic voice] Thank you for your instructions.
[baby crying]
- [Dinah] There, there. - That's my father.
This one is heavier.
[Jonas] More twins. Great.
- Watch. - [Father] Oh, good.
For a moment, I thought they'd be exactly the same.
Here we go.
Then we'd have a problem.
[softly] Okay, okay.
Thank you, Dinah.
- Yes, yes, yes, yes. - And you,
only one unit less.
[Father coos]
[baby crying]
[crying continues]
[crying Swps]
Oh, I know it hurts, I know.
I know, I know.
But I have to use a vein, and the ones in your arms
are too teeny weenie.
Almost, almost...
Done.
That wasn't so bad now, was it?
That's death.
He doesn't know what he's doing.
Doesn't know what he's doing?
He killed him.
But he doesn't know what it means.
Just like you didn't.
Neither did Rosemary.
How can he not see the baby isn't moving?
Doesn't that tell him something is wrong?
The young and the old are killed.
You're friend, Fiona,
she will soon be trained to Release as well.
That's a lie.
She'd never do that.
If Fiona understood...
We are the only ones who understand it.
Then it's our fault.
You and me and all the Receivers
back and back and back and back and back.
There has to be a way to show them,
to give them the memories so they can understand.
- Yes. - Because if you can't feel,
what's the point?
But what can you do?
[electronic voice] Citizens are reminded
that evening recreation will end in 30 minutes.
Thank you.
Did it work?
I don't know how long it takes for the injections
to leave you, whether a day was long enough or...
Why did I do this, Jonas?
On the walk here, I was thinking of how I would scold you.
How I would say, "Oh, it's fine for you
to break the rules because you're chosen."
When I thought about telling you,
I just, I...
I began to think about you.
[gasps softly]
Is this okay?
Do you feel anything?
[Fiona] It feels like...
[Jonas] Fiona,
- what do you feel? - I don't know.
I don't have the words to describe it.
Warm?
Does it feel warm?
Warm?
Does it feel nice?
[gasps] No, um...
I, I'm on night shift.
I need to...
I don't feel right, Jonas.
I need to go and get my injection.
I need to go to work.
What was that?
Fiona, there is more.
So much more.
[Jonas] I remembered it now.
I had dreamed of her.
When I was younger.
I told my parents.
"It was the Stirrings", they said.
Everyone had them.
Medication would stop them.
Nothing that couldn't be fixed.
Precision of language.
And Teacher said, "That's right, Lily."
Very good.
Jonas.
Just in time for Feelings.
- Lily was telling us how she... - Where's Gabe?
Uncertain was returned to the Nurturing Center.
What happened?
Well, he failed his Test of Maturity.
Again.
I couldn't ask for another extension,
so I'll have to Release him to Elsewhere.
Release him?
Well, we certainly gave it our best try, didn't we?
But he's family.
Precision of language, please.
[Father] Sit down.
Eat with us.
I just need to rest for a while.
[Jonas] I hadn't been wrong.
This was wrong.
They hadn't eliminated murder.
They'd brought it home.
They just called it by a different name.
Father, he didn't know any better.
I did.
[tires scraping]
Jonas, what are you doing? It's against the rules
to leave your community this late.
Asher, there's something I have to do that is right,
but is sort of against the rules.
If it's the right thing to do,
how can it be against the rules?
There are things that I've learned
that you don't know that you can't know,
- not because it's your fault... - Jonas,
you need to go back to your family unit.
But that's the point.
It isn't my family, and neither is yours.
- Asher, I got to go. - Jonas, listen.
- Get out of my way. - Jonas, stop!
[grunting]
Giver!
Giver, wake up.
I'd have to be sleeping to wake up.
Something can be done. Something can be done.
What are you proposing?
All the memories back and back and back
can be returned.
I need to leave the Community.
I need to find the Boundary of Memory.
And then?
And then cross it.
- No more discussions. - Slowly.
Gabe is in danger.
- Slowly. - I can't wait any more.
Something must be done.
If you had that map, then why didn't you try to leave?
I was waiting
for someone like you.
You are the reason we have a chance.
So, the plan will be for you to go and for me to stay.
If you did cross this Boundary,
[sighs] and if the memories were set free,
all of the pain that you felt,
all the confusion, the chaos,
it would all return.
So you'd stay to help them?
Yes.
And for my daughter.
It's what she would've wanted.
Your daughter?
Rosemary.
Now, your friend.
If he truly saw the Triangle of Rocks...
Bring up Jonas's activity for the past year as well.
So Asher came directly to you?
Yes.
What was Jonas's disposition at evening meal?
Dissatisfied.
Anxious.
Indignant.
Set up a communication with the Receiver of Memory.
We're not permitted to see into the Receiver's residence.
We can only transmit.
Well, then we shall only transmit.
[Giver] If you go, head towards the Triangle,
away from the other Communities.
That will lead to the Boundary of Memory.
[electronic voice] Please stand by for a transmission.
I apologize for the intrusion.
I accept your apology.
[Chief Elder] We have a problem.
The Receiver-in-Training is missing,
and he physically attacked his friend, Asher.
He did?
That's serious.
Do you know where Jonas is?
I do not.
[beeping and trilling]
Well, thank you very much
for helping us to narrow down the possibilities.
[Giver] I will contact you if he comes here.
[Chief Elder] Only if it's not an imposition.
Thank you.
[sOfUY] He's lying-
Talk!
They're going to kill Gabe.
I'm leaving, I'm leaving tonight,
and I'm going to take him with me.
Jonas,notyeL you're not ready.
When they decided to kill Gabe, they decided I was ready.
I like this map.
Don't mess it up.
I'll be wanting it back.
You don't mind if I accelerate your training a bit, do you?
You'd think for someone who is the keeper of emotions,
that I'd be better at...
Well...
I love you, Jonas.
[chuckles] There. There it is.
You have the courage.
- Let me give you the strength. - Can I just...
[Chief Elder] Attention all Community residents,
the Receiver-in-Training has been reported missing
from his dwelling.
Please, be alert.
He may be in danger.
[Mother] The Group One will start from the Edge and work inward.
And then Group Two from the center out.
No, no, like this.
[electronic voice] Welcome to the Nurturing Center.
- Shall I convene the Elders? - Yes.
[babies crying]
Jonas!
I heard an alert.
What's going on?
Hey, where's Gabe?
Is he here?
- Is he in one of these? - If he's back,
then he'd be with the Uncertains
on a restricted floor.
Show me where.
Fiona, please.
They're downstairs. Come on.
Jonas was chosen for the most important position
in our Community.
He was asked if he were strong enough.
It turns out he was not.
[Chief Elder] Instead, he is a rebel
who must be stopped
by you.
When you find him,
take him.
Gabe is in danger.
Jonas, he's fine, I'll show you.
No, he's not fine.
He should be here.
Fiona,
I'm leaving tonight.
Leaving? What do you mean?
I'm taking Gabe. We're leaving the Community.
I want you to come with us.
[baby crying]
[nurturer] There you go.
There you go.
[shushing]
[Fiona] [over speaker] I don't have the words to describe it.
Fiona, there is more.
So much more.
What are they doing?
[Jonas] Fiona, what do you feel?
[Fiona] I don't have the words to describe it.
[electronic voice] Attention, Nurturers.
Please secure your work area and immediately report
to the Newborns Nursery to allow for a security search procedure.
Promptly report all sightings at the nearest security kiosk.
Thank you.
[baby crying]
Fiona, we got to go now.
You, me and Gabe.
Jonas, I can't.
What about my family unit?
The other Newchildren?
I can't leave them.
[Jonas] This is the only way.
This is the only way to make everything okay.
I can't go.
When I get there, you'll understand.
I'll come back for you.
Jonas!
[guard] We're checking the Nurturing Center.
Come back.
Now go, Jonas!
[alarm blaring]
Please! Stop! She's in corridor three!
[babies crying, alarm continues]
[gasping]
[motorcycle vroom]
[airplane swoosh]
[swishing]
[electronic voice] Subject lost to the Edge.
Search terminated.
And I asked why he was out so late.
He seemed angry.
I didn't understand why,
but I wanted to help him.
He hit me, and at first...
I can tell why you've been acting this way.
Your injection levels are extremely low.
I can correct this.
Friends forever, right?
[Mother] And then we will address what's happened.
[Jonas] When I went over the Edge,
we shouldn't have made it.
This was a miracle.
The Giver had talked about them.
He told me I could draw strength from the memories.
I knew by giving them to Gabe,
I could protect him.
Prick your finger and put a little blood on this apple.
When you leave in the morning, put the apple over the sensor.
I've been doing it for months, and it's worked every single time.
What has he taught you?
This is the only way.
This is the only way to make everything okay.
Gabe is in danger.
What they're gonna do to him is really bad.
I want you to come with us.
When I get there, you'll understand.
I'll come back for you.
Yes.
[Zapping]
[whispering] Careful.
Careful.
I apologize
for failing again.
I don't think you failed.
I think you succeeded
with your plan.
Ever since the girl was Released, you haven't been the same.
I genuinely hoped Jonas would help you.
You'd have a fresh start.
The two of you would work together.
Which, it seems, you have.
We will find Jonas.
- [Zapping] - [Giver cries out]
[electronic voice] Jonas, our Receiver of Memory,
lost to the Edge.
[audience] Jonas, Jonas, Jonas,Jonas,Jonas,
Jonas,Jonas,
Jonas,Jonas,Jonas...
How do they know Jonas is gone?
We must not say his name any more.
I Will.
You have to be quiet now, Lily.
Jonas,Jonas...
And a hippo is really an elephant.
Jonas,Jonas,Jonas, Jonas,Jonas...
[whispering] What I'm about to tell you,
you must never repeat to anyone.
I don't believe Jonas is Lost.
But the Ceremony of Loss?
A charade.
I don't expect you to understand,
but you must know that Jonas has become dangerous.
He must be stopped.
He must not get beyond the Triangle of Rocks.
What do you want me to do?
You know Jonas.
I want you to find him.
And then...
I want you to lose him.
[crow cawing in distance]
[indistinct radio chatter]
[beeping]
[whooshing]
[beeping]
[indistinct radio chatter confinues]
[whispers] Jonas.
- What are you doing? - Asher, please, let us go.
I can't.
I'm supposed to...
To what?
To lose you.
[panting]
Asher, if you are my friend,
if you ever were my friend,
can you please somehow trust me?
Trust me now.
[Gabriel crying]
I do trust you, Jonas.
Come on, please.
Jonas.
[gasps]
[Chief Elder] You found him.
I did.
For the good of all of us,
I beg you,
finish this.
It's finished.
[Gabriel crying]
HEY-
It's okay.
[insects buzzing, birds screeching]
[voice-over] Nothing the Giver had shown me
had prepared me for the voices in my head,
screaming at me to stop.
But I knew Fiona would be punished for helping me,
Asher, for letting me go.
The only way to help them,
- to keep them alive, - [thunder rumbling]
Was to get to the Boundary,
if it even existed.
I strengthened Gabe with memories of having enough
and knowing joy.
It was the memory of Fiona that kept me going.
[beeps]
Fiona?
I've taken care of everything.
We've arranged for your Release.
There'll be a nice ceremony.
Now, you get some rest.
- I felt things. - What?
I know that there's something more.
- Fiona... - Something missing from our lives.
No, not missing.
Something that has been stolen from me and from you.
I don't know what it is exactly,
but Jonas does.
I have felt things,
and they were warm,
and they were nice.
They were beautiful.
I have felt things.
[crying] I have felt things.
[leaves rustling]
[wind whistling]
[panting]
Where is the tower, Gabe?
The tower should be here.
[gasps]
[low, indistinct conversation]
You can stop this.
Stop what?
If you don't want to see it,
sit down with the other Elders.
Close your eyes.
[electronic voice] Ceremony of Release to Elsewhere.
[Father] Hello, Fiona.
[clicking, beeping]
You uncomfortable?
I'm not uncomfortable.
I'm afraid.
You don't have to be afraid.
You know me.
I'll be very gentle.
I promise.
Okay?
Her name was Rosemary.
She was my daughter.
I loved her.
Precision of language.
[chuckles] I could not be more precise.
Do you know what that's like?
To love someone?
I do.
[chuckles]
[over speaker] I've cried,
felt true sorrow.
I've sung, danced.
I've felt real joy.
[Chief Elder] Then you should know
better than anyone.
You have seen children starve.
[grunts]
You've seen people
stand on each other's necks
just for the view.
You know what it feels like when men blow each other up.
Yes.
Over a simple line in the sand.
I do,ldo,butH
And yet...
And yet,
you and Jonas want to
open that door again,
bring all that back.
If you could only see the possibility of love.
- Why? - Of love.
- Love is just... - With love comes faith,
with it comes hope.
Love is just passion that can turn.
We can do better.
It turns into contempt and murder.
We could choose better.
[chuckles]
People are weak.
People are selfish.
When people have the freedom to choose,
they choose wrong
every single time.
[wind whistling]
[Gabriel crying]
[crying Swps]
[distant singing]
[wind whistling]
[distant laughter]
[Gabriel grunts]
It's a sled.
[Giver] Loss and pain,
music,
Joy,
the raw, impossible,
beautiful feeling of love.
Your son,
he felt that.
[grunting]
That girl,
she has felt it.
That's enough.
We are living a life of shadows,
of echoes, of faint,
distant whispers of what once made us real.
Excuse me for one second, Fiona.
[Chief Elder] We must continue.
[rumbling]
[rapid beeping]
[hissing]
[Jonas] I wish I had been there
when the memories returned.
They were the truth.
The Elders and their rules were the lie.
So I do not apologize.
I knew Fiona was safe,
that I'd see her again,
and that I held the future there in my arms.
[distant singing]
[Jonas] The Giver had led us here
to this house.
It was real.
From far behind me,
from the place I had left,
I thought I heard music, too.
Perhaps it was only an echo,
but it was enough.
It would lead us all home.