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I'm looking for the name of a movie I saw at least 5 years ago. I believe it had been released relatively recently. The movie is set in a futuristic utopian society.

Children are given a bracelet or code in their forearm with a daily schedule. There is a gatekeeper who lives in a library at the edge of town on a cliff, who is the only person who knows the truth that humans have free will. A new baby is born and assigned the role of the gatekeeper. The story follows the new child as he is mentored by the existing gatekeeper.

The new gatekeeper is outraged that human free will has been kept a secret from society. The reason given for keeping this secret by the existing gatekeeper is to maintain order.

I remember a scene from the start of the movie with babies being sorted on a conveyor belt.

The movie ended with the new gatekeeper escaping from the society.

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    If someone posts the correct answer, you can accept it by clicking on the checkmark by the voting buttons as per the tour. If someone posts an answer that is not the work you are looking for, please comment on why it isn't a match and edit any new details elicited into your question. You can also visit scifi.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9335/…, which has some good prompts for details that will help us help you. – FuzzyBoots Sep 8 '20 at 14:19
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    Antz – Möoz Sep 9 '20 at 2:07
  • I read the book in 8th or 9th grade, it was somewhat weird and disturbing tbh. On the other hand, it seems to have made an impression. – Erik Sep 9 '20 at 8:54
  • could be Boss Baby! \s – Rapiddagger Sep 9 '20 at 12:21
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This is likely the 2014 film adaptation of The Giver

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

For a more complete plot summary, the Wikipedia article is pretty decent. The older man who teaches Jonas is the "Receiver of Memory", also known as the "Giver" (they are also the only people who can see color). And yes, Jonas escapes in the end with a baby, Gabriel, who also has the markers for being a potential "Giver".

Trailer

Found with a search for film children job assigned at birth

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  • Also the unaccepted answer at scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/157314/… – FuzzyBoots Sep 8 '20 at 14:30
  • I only know this movie under the german name Hüter der Erinnerung and I was immediately reminded when reading the title of the question. +1 – dan1st Sep 9 '20 at 17:35
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    If you liked the story, it's worth pointing out that the book is just the first one of a four-part series. – molnarm Sep 10 '20 at 10:49
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    In both the book and the movie versions, the assigned careers of young adults are revealed to themselves, and to the communities in which they live at an annual, public ceremony. I don't remember any scene prior to the revealing in which babies are sorted, and I have no memory of children receiving career-specific training or special treatment prior to the ceremony. The youths are as much surprised as anybody else to find out their assignments. I remember the book better than the movie though. So, if there was an establishing shot at the beginning, maybe I forgot it or didn't see it. – Solomon Slow Sep 10 '20 at 13:07
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    Honestly, the conveyor belts and babies sounds more Brave New World. – FuzzyBoots Sep 10 '20 at 13:46

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