Here's the ending to 2014 YA adaptation The Giver explained. Based on the 1993 Lois Lowry novel, The Giver takes place after a war called "The Ruin," and is set in a community where the emotions of citizens - including love and desire - are suppressed. This is to maintain order but a Receiver of Memory is appointed to hold all the memories of the past to shield everyone else from it. The hero of the story is Jonas (Brenton Thwaites, Titans), who is selected as the next Receiver, but as he progressively receives memories from his predecessor, he struggles with feeling true love and sorrow for the first time. He also discovers dark truths about how his community is run.
The Giver was one of many dystopian YA adaptations that followed in the wake of The Hunger Games. Other notable offerings include The Maze Runner series and The 5th Wave. Jeff Bridges - who plays The Giver - had wanted to turn the novel into a movie for years, and once wanted his father Lloyd to play the title role. The Giver certainly amassed an impressive cast, which includes Bridges, Alexander Skarsgård and Meryl Streep, but was greeted with a mixed response from critics and at the box-office.
The Giver sees Jonas selected to become the Receiver of Memory by the Chief Elder (Streep), while his friends Fiona (Odeya Rush) is selected for the Nurturing Center while Asher (Cameron Monaghan, Gotham) becomes a drone pilot. Through his training Jonas starts to see color for the first time and learns The Giver's daughter Rosemary (Taylor Swift) was previously selected as the Receiver of Memory but decided to take her own life after being overwhelmed by the emotions it produced. Jonas later encourages Fiona to stop taking her emotion suppressing injections and the two kiss.
A turning point in The Giver sees Jonas learn that Gabe, a baby his family is looking after, is to be "released" - AKA killed - so he takes the baby and escapes into the Elsewhere. Asher is ordered by the Chief Elder to track Jonas on a drone, but he later lets them go when his friend tells him the secrets the Elders are keeping from everyone. Fiona is sentenced to be "released" for helping Jonas and Gabe escape, while Jonas' father (Skarsgård) is tasked with carrying this out. The Giver himself makes a plea to the Elders to let the community start feeling and be human again, but this notion is rejected.
The Giver ends with Jonas and Gabe traveling beyond Elsewhere's border, which has the effect of restoring everyone's memories. The rush of emotions take over the community and saves Fiona's life. The final scene sees Jonas giving voice over as he and Gabe are about to enter a house he previously saw in The Giver's memories.