 Streep 's first film of 2014 was the motion picture adaptation of the young adult novel The Giver . Set in 2048 , the social science fiction film tells the story of a post @-@ apocalyptic community without war , pain , suffering , differences or choice , where a young boy is chosen to learn the real world . Streep , who plays the community 's leader , was aware of the book before being offered the role by co @-@ star and producer Jeff Bridges . Upon its release , The Giver was met with generally mixed to negative reviews from critics . The same year , she also had a small role in the period drama film The Homesman , Set in the 1850s midwest , the film stars Hilary Swank and Jones as an unusual pair , who helps three women driven to madness by the frontier to get back East . Streep appears not until the end of the film , playing a preacher 's wife , who takes the women into care . The Homesman premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where it garnered largely positive reviews from critics . 
