Friday Noon Movie Club: The Hunger Games

There’s no way you’ve missed it, the movie version of The Hunger Games has arrived! The Friday Noon Movie Club was a fun gathering of 6 women, while my rather jealous teens toiled away at school. And I have to say, there was none of the humiliation that exists when a 40-something woman enters a theater to see a movie based on adolescent literature, like when said woman might show up at a Twilight screening. Not that I would know anything about that. Ahem.

As the mother of two young fans, I’ve been nervous for a while about how this movie would come out, wondering how the violent nature of the books would come across on film. And even more so wondering how I would deal with a disappointed daughter if it was more than I was willing to allow her to watch. But I had hope, because Suzanne Collins, the author of the trilogy, was one of the screenwriters, and I hoped that her sensibilities would continue onto the screen.

My faith in her was rewarded. The movie stayed true to the books, showing violence in a way that does not glorify it. Indeed, it does the opposite, showing the sacredness to human life, and the fact that everyone involved in violence is changed by it. The Hunger Games is a horrific tale of societal oppression and mob mentality, with elements of Roman gladiators, Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery,” and Lord of the Flies, among many others.

Yet the selling point of both the book and the movie is the strong female lead, Katniss Everdeen, a resourceful young woman who will sacrifice herself for those she loves. And Katniss is ably played by Jennifer Lawrence, who was also wonderful as Katniss’s present-day alter ego in Winter’s Bone, a movie from a couple of years ago.

Other characters are well-played, but not well-developed. The constraints of time appear to have cut much of the back story on many of the characters, which proves frustrating to fans of the novels. For instance, Cinna did not play a big enough part. Being a closet Lenny Kravitz fan, I was sort of amazed at how restrained his performance was. I have no idea how it plays to someone who doesn’t know the books, because, having read them, my memory fills in any missing information.

I “enjoyed” the movie, for lack of a better term. I don’t know what to do with that. Is it inspiring? Not really, because it’s such a sad story, even if Katniss does come through. Is it uplifting? No. But there’s something appealing about it, and it’s not just the excitement of the danger and competition. It has to do with Katniss’s refusal to submit to the expectations placed on her, and her refusal to succumb to the baser nature that shows up in some of her opponents. The on-screen treatment of her relationship with the young girl, Rue, is one of the highlights of the movie.

I felt satisfied, if saddened, after watching, but I do wonder if I can tolerate watching the second and third books turned into movies. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to stay away, either.

One more thing—I downloaded the soundtrack today, which was put together by T Bone Burnett (O Brother Where Art Thou?, Walk the Line, Cold Mountain). On first listen, it appears to be a fabulous combination of music, including songs from Neko Case, the Punch Brothers, the Civil Wars, Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, The Carolina Chocolate Drops…an amazing list. Even if you don’t want to watch the movie, check out the music.

Perfect "Match" for the "Hunger Games" Fan

Mix the best friend vs. soulmate romance triangle of Twilight, the evil, controlling government of The Hunger Games, and the futuristic society of The Giver, and you've got Matched by Ally Condie. Derivative? Perhaps. In this instance, I tend to think of it like my 8th grade science fair.

See, in 7th grade, I did a nondescript science project for the science fair. I got a decent grade, but no awards. Looking around, I noticed that all of the awards went to projects having to do with plants. So. The next year, I did a project about plants. And I won the one and only trophy I have ever won in my life. Original? No. But that doesn't mean my project was a bad one. I did a good job on it. I just had a little help in the inspiration department.

Back to the book, Matched is a good book all on its own. I couldn't put it down. The writing isn't quite up to par with The Giver, but it is good. It's less lust-filled and certainly better written than Twilight (though there is plenty of longing of a more innocent variety), and it lacks the violence of The Hunger Games. The novel makes its own points, mostly having to do with freedom or a lack of it, and what keeping the status quo means for the invisible in society.

In this Society, every aspect of life is monitored. Dreams, garbage, food intake, exercise and relationships. On her 17th birthday, Cassia Reyes celebrates her Match Banquet. This is the banquet at which her future husband is revealed to her. She is shocked and happy to learn that her Match is her best friend, Xander. Soon, though she is unsettled to find that there may have been some mistake--she might have been matched with another friend, Ky. And so begins both her angst-ridden romantic life as well as her slow discovery of individual freedom.

This book could be used as a parallel for any sort of freedom-limiting society--communist China, Taliban-ruled Afghanistan or a future U.S. where the government makes too many choices for us. It could also foster conspiracy theories, if you are so inclined! Who knows but that the proposed ban on unhealthy Happy Meals in San Francisco is the first step to having our food portioned out and delivered to us in our homes?

There are a few moments where the romantic longing gets a little thick. As my late friend Amy said, on reading the classic young adult romance Seventeenth Summer, "Oh just kiss and get it over with, for goodness sake." But I'm okay with that.

Likely not for the boys, but if you have a female Hunger Games fan in your home who is at loose ends now that the trilogy is over, wrap this up, put it under the tree, and check another gift off your list. Warning: the book will leave her hanging, and it seems likely there will be a sequel! And I will be watching for it.

The Hunger Games Wrap Up

Well. I can breathe again. I've been immersed in the latest, and last, installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.

Now, what to say about it. Without giving anything away!

As grim as the premise is, the first two books struck me as keeping a little distance from the gore that resulted from the story. I didn't often have to look closely at the suffering of those who died. I thought that was in good keeping with the themes of oppression and abuse of power. Life is sacred, that the suffering of someone you do not know still matters, and the reason for the violence in the story was to point that out. It wasn't necessary to witness every gruesome detail.

Mockingjay is much more grisly. This is a book about war, and it spares us little. Reading the trilogy as a whole, I think that this book continues to push the reader to examine the effects of war, violence, and abuse of power. Indeed, it's impossible to miss those effects. While this does not diminish my estimation of the series--I don't believe that "nice" stories are the only ones worth reading--it does make me reconsider what age group for which I'd recommend them. A mature 12 or 13 year old can probably handle this, but there are many disturbing images, and I'd be cautious who I share them with. That said, my 11-year-old started reading The Hunger Games yesterday, and now I'm wondering if that was such a great idea! At least, having read them myself, I can talk about the books with her.

I heard Suzanne Collins on NPR last year when Catching Fire came out, and I believe she said that she came up with the idea for this series when she was channel-surfing and flipped between a story on child soldiers and a reality show. She says that if you combine the two, you get gladiators. The commentator asked her about the darkness and violence in the story, and she said something to the effect that we don't give children enough credit for knowing and interpreting the world we live in. She says that violence finds its way into their lives. We want to candy coat it, but they know better.

Certainly, if they read this series, they will know better. They'll also be offered various ways to look at violence and oppression. One choice is to use it as a sick sort of entertainment--picking favorites, watching disaster, getting a secret thrill from the proceedings--be it war between two entities, an exploitative reality game show, an epic disaster. Another choice is to shut it out, pretend it doesn't exist, and live our happily, relatively luxurious lives in ignorance. A third choice is to feel true compassion and reach out for change.

Another theme that is particularly strong in the third installment is the cost of survival. Whether helpless victims, unwilling participants or idealistic revolutionaries, surviving violence takes its toll on everyone. Coming into power changes people. And in particular, killing another human being (or many) changes a person profoundly. Given her initial impulse for the books, a story on child soldiers, this last theme makes perfect sense and is made painfully clear to the reader. It's hard for me to imagine someone "enjoying" the violence in the story in the same way as a spectacular special effects moment in an action movie. All of the characters, whether on the side of the heroine or not, are presented as human and cannot be dismissed lightly.

Mockingjay is a powerful book. Looking through discussions online, I see that much of the speculation surrounding it has to do with whether the heroine Katniss will end up with either Gale or Peeta. While I enjoyed speculating about that myself, readers looking for the Jacob/Edward tension of the Twilight books or the Pam/Jim progression of "The Office" should look elsewhere. This is a book about the pain of being manipulated, the horror of war and the horrible choices one is forced to make in such situations, where few are innocent and everyone has a motivation of his or her own.

Collins keeps the reader wrapped in the tension, refusing to allow readers to take a break when the chapter ends.

And while the novel is grim, it does offer hope. There are also brief moments of beauty. As a parent, I'd like to see that hope and beauty show up a bit earlier or in larger doses for my child. Contrarily, as a reader myself, I feel that any more would just negate the horror that the characters experience. And let's not delude ourselves--there are horrors, as well as beauty, everywhere. So, how will we respond? If we ignore the suffering in the world, can we truly appreciate the beauty? And if we constantly view horror while feeling ourselves detached and safe from it, how long will it be until we are so jaded that we can't see it for what it is?