A young man living in a “perfect” post-apocalyptic society is chosen to be the sole “receiver” of all memories of human history. Somebody has to do it. He realizes there’s more to life and goes rogue.

If this sounds like a rip-off of such YA fare as The Hunger Games and Divergent, it’s really the other way around. While Jeff Bridges spent two decades trying to adapt Lois Lowry’s 1993 source novel, others were borrowing aspects of it, but without much depth.

The young leads are appealing, and veterans Meryl Streep, Bridges, and Katie Holmes raise the level. Phillip Noyce directs. Fascinating use of color. Japanese title: Giver: Kioku wo Sosogu Mono. (97 min)