it's been a few years since Katniss
first captivated us with her charm
fierce loyalty and righteous archery
skills so when you go back to re-watch
the Hunger Games Movies you'll pick up
on a lot more about them now than you
did the first time around here are some
things you only notice about the Hunger
Games
as an adult all four movies pass the
Bechdel test if you don't know about the
Bechtel Wallis test the rules are pretty
simple a film passes if there are at
least two women with names featured they
talk to each other at some point and
when they do they talk about something
other than a man it sounds simple but
there are thousands of movies that don't
actually make the grade the Hunger Games
Movies however all pass the test want
proof in the first movie Katniss has
conversations with prim Effie Andrew
about lots of things
although root does mention Peeta in the
second film Katniss talks to prim
Johanna mags and wiris about everything
from fish hooks to clocks in the third
film she talks to prim about becoming a
doctor and Cressida about making propos
and in the fourth she talks to Johanna
about their shared trauma and to Alma
coin about battle strategy Katniss and
Peeta swapped traditional gender roles
you might not notice it if you're
wrapped up in the drama of the games but
Katniss and Peeta don't exactly conform
to traditional gender roles Katniss is
strong stubborn and heroic while Peeta
is kind deferential and submissive as
Linda Holmes noted on NPR Katniss
challenges a lot of traditional
narratives about girls she carries a bow
she fights she kills she survives she's
emotionally unavailable she'd rather act
than talk
fire is catching and if we burn you burn
with us all of those traits are almost
always ascribed to men in Hollywood
films making Katniss a true outlier then
there is Peeta hi hey how did you do
that oh yeah I used to decorate the
cakes down at the bakery he openly
expresses his feelings wears his heart
on his sleeve and follows Katniss's lead
throughout the films and books given how
successful the franchise was perhaps
more movies would cash in big if they
broke the mold more often Gale is a jerk
Gale is a tall brooding hunter who works
in the minds of district 12 and
sometimes his confidence clouds his
judgment rendering him insensitive and
even condescending
in other words Gale can be kind of a
jerk in the opening scene of the first
film he interrupts Katniss when she's
trying to hunt a deer and acts like she
wouldn't know what to do with it at the
beginning of the second movie she
reasonably suggests that they run away
that he stalks her out of it and in the
third film he has no sympathy for Peeta
who's been tortured and brainwashed in
the Capitol despite Katniss telling him
how horrific it can be gales kind of a
creep the PTSD of the victors
Haymitch is an unapologetic alcoholic
throughout the films since he's trying
to kill the pain of his past trauma
Johanna steals Katniss's medicine after
being tortured in the Capitol to calm
her mind and Katniss herself wakes up
screaming from horrific nightmares
clinical psychologist dr. Jenna Scarlett
wrote that it's clear Katniss and the
other victors are suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder and after
what they had to endure in the games and
at the hands of the Capitol it's
completely understandable in addition to
the nightmares Katniss has flashbacks to
the demise of rue in the first film the
destruction of district 12 in the third
film and nearly losing Peeta multiple
times leaving her prone to moodiness
sleep disruption and a tendency to be
avoidant even when she enjoys peace with
Peeta and their children she still
suffers telling her infant that one day
she'll tell them why district 11 and
American slavery district 11 produces
crops for the Capitol and is one of the
poorer districts along with district 12
but unlike 12 nearly all of the
residents of
have dark-skinned frankly it doesn't
take much digging to notice that
district 11 is a direct comment on
American slavery there's an electric
fence er on the perimeter
preventing anyone from leaving they're
held there by threat of violence and
subject to brutal punishments from the
peacekeepers such as public whipping if
you're caught running away residents of
the district have to labor in fields but
the crops they produce are all sent to
the capital leaving them malnourished
it's not hard to see what district 11
and the capital represent Cinna actually
sparked the revolution there is no
question that Katniss volunteering to
save her sister at the reaping was brave
but that alone wouldn't have been enough
to ignite the revolution and her Sinha
who stylistic genius and devotion to
Katniss are the perfect catalyst to turn
her into the Mockingjay he's one of the
first people in the Capitol who is
genuinely nice to her and unlike past
stylists he's not just going to dress
her up as a coal miner instead he
dresses Peeta and Katniss in flames
getting the attention of everyone in
Panem then in Catching Fire he designs a
wedding dress that flares up into a
Mockingjay and pays for it with his life
whether he was in on it or not he
outfitted her for the revolution
[Applause]
Finnick is actually nice
Finnick Odair first appears on screen
almost halfway into Catching Fire decked
out for the tribute parade he's enjoyed
a life of luxury ever since winning the
games years ago but his high life has
some darker strings attached while they
don't go into it much in the films
Vinick has been sold as an object by
President Snow to wealthy Capitol
patrons who use him for anything they
want he alludes to it in his first
conversation with Katniss when he brings
up secrets as being the ultimate
currency of the Capitol what about you
girl on fire any secrets worth my time
so if you've ever wondered why he was
willing to fight for the revolution
that's probably a big factor President
Snow's poisonous past it's easy to miss
that presidents know sometimes bleeds
from the mouth and while you might
assume he has a disease like
tuberculosis that's not the case in the
books Vinick reveals that President Snow
rose to power at a young age by
poisoning anyone who got in his way
whether they were friend or foe in order
to deflect any suspicion he drank from
the poisoned cup as well and acquired
sores in his mouth from the poison that
will never heal that's also why he wears
perfume scented roses too to cover up
the smell of blood from his mouth never
let them see you thanks for watching
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