No. 32 - The Hunger Games Retrospective
A look at what you can learn about mass media from this iconic dystopian franchise
Those Who Would Walk From Panem
This year marks the ten year anniversary of the release of the first Hunger Games film: a franchise that helped propel Jennifer Lawrence into super stardom and would have a lasting impression on pop culture. While some may write off these films as Young Adult romance fiction fluff, the series serves as an excellent dystopic mirror of real-world influence of media and propaganda.
Spoilers for The Hunger Games franchise ahead:
The Hunger Games takes place in Panem, a distorted and totalitarian version of the United States divided up into 12 districts. Each district is focused on producing a different resource or manufacturing a different product, except for The Capitol where the wealthy live in excess and sophistication. Travel between districts is prohibited and strict laws are violently enforced by Peacekeepers (who resemble the fascist Storm Troopers of Star Wars). The Capitol does offer what it considers to be hope in these bleak circumstances, a yearly event called The Hunger Games. Each year, two children (ages 12-18) are randomly selected to compete in a battle royale death match in an environment designed by professional game makers. It is marked with significant pomp and media coverage to the point that refusing to watch is a small act of defiance. The sole survivor is inducted into a life of luxury and is provided income for life by The Capitol. 24 children are randomly chosen, or “reaped”, for this contest, 2 from each district. The small hope each district has that they will be brought glory from their reaped children leaves most of Panem complacent. Even the name, “Panem” is drawn from the ancient Roman phrase “panem et circenses“ translating to “bread and circuses”, meant to critically suggest that cheap food and entertainment will pacify the masses from revolt.
The hero of the series, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), frequently considers running away from Panem with her friend Gale (Liam Hemsworth) and using her skills as a hunter to survive. To be entirely honest, when moments in the news in our world showed just how careless or cruel the US government has been in the past ten years, I too have fantasized about becoming an expat. What keeps Katniss from exiling herself is her responsibility she has to those she cares about and to everyone in Panem. To leave is to turn her back on everyone in Panem and to willingly let their suffering continue. What power can an individual have against a government that actively kills its own people?
For Gale, it becomes performing direct action by joining the rebellion in order to fulfill his personal sense of duty to protect the ones he loves. For Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), they develop a large ray of influence after they are selected to be District 12’s tributes to the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The two of them make it out alive by rejecting to kill each other when they’re the last two standing. This small act of defiance, motivated by love, marks the beginning of their roles in the revolution. When they win, they are heralded as heroes instead of what they truly are: survivors. When they go on a tour of Panem, they express regret and love to the families of the other tributes and they watch as these transparent feelings brew defiance in the population of Panem. Panem’s leader, President Snow (Donald Sutherland), encourages Katniss to lie in order to quell the uprising, which stands in line with Panem’s clearly biased news that obfuscates the truth with carefully selected words. Eventually, Katniss is inducted into a rebellion, led by President Coin (Julianne Moore), who are trying to overthrow the government for a more free and peaceful Panem.
As the series continues, Katniss and Peeta face less combat and become more useful as symbols for propaganda, for inspiring change, or for both. The rebellion positions itself as the truth by shooting video of the actual atrocities committed by The Capitol to counter the verbal lies of the state. Even the images they produce are made with a degree of fiction as, initially, Katniss is placed on a soundstage reading lines so she can be placed in a CGI battlefield. Even in the last film where President Coin allows Katniss to join the final assault on The Capitol, she is regulated to shooting propaganda miles behind the front lines.
Reality is proven to be malleable in this series through surface level things like invisible force field constructs and drug induced brainwashing, but via media as well. To quote David Cronenberg’s 1983 film Videodrome:
“The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye. Therefore, the television screen is part of the physical structure of the brain. Therefore, whatever appears on the television screen emerges as raw experience for those who watch it. Therefore, television is reality.”
For many in the world of Panem (and in our world) what is presented as “real” and “true” in the news is digested as just that, even if it isn’t. Any dissonance is perceived as subversive.
This bending of truth extends beyond the borders of sound stages and video cameras in the climax of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 when President Coin deploys jets disguised as The Capitol’s to bomb a caravan of children in order to destroy any remaining faith in President Snow’s administration. When The Capitol is captured, Coin assumes the seat of President (“interim”, she claims, until the public is less emotional about the revolution) and suggests that, in addition to public executions of Snow and his administration, that they will hold another Hunger Games, but only reaping children of The Capitol’s population.
The twist being that media savvy Coin wanted to use Peeta as the symbol for the revolution, not Katniss, because, as Snow also found, he was weaker and easier to control. Indeed, when the time comes to execute Snow, Katniss executes Coin instead, knowing that a manipulative and controlling leader will lead Panem down an all too familiar path.
So when faced against a reality, both physical and mental, that encourages you to accept violence as everyday and to accept that the government has no interest in actually making anything better, one must ask themselves again, what can one do? Though out the series, Katniss is not heroic for her violence, in fact, she chastises Gale after he tells her that bombing innocents is fine because “Even if civilians are mopping floors, they're helping the enemy.” Katniss is heroic because of her mercy and her compassion. She acts in defense of those who can’t defend themselves and against those who would oppress others. She never relishes violence and actively condemns it. For that she is rewarded with a life of peace with those she loves most.
All The Hunger Games films are currently available for streaming on Hulu.
Stray Observations
Short issue this week because I went on a trip to sunny Traverse City!
Went hiking out in the sand dunes (which looked really amazing in the snow), antiquing (picked up some pre-Hellboy Mike Mignola comics and some Bill Sienkiewicz Electra comics), hung out with a friend who lives up there (fellow CCS alum Tate Dorvinen), and otherwise had a nice time.
The drive to Traverse and back allowed me to get through a book in my audiobook collection: Story by Robert McKee. A non-fiction book on the art and principles of screenwriting. There’s lots of good story and writing advice in there too. Invaluable for aspiring writers of any kind of medium and film lovers. Largely makes me want to boot up my screenplay software and goof around in there again.
Over the week, I also considered writing articles on two other films I saw, pseudo-documentary horror film Lake Mungo (2008) and medieval #metoo film The Last Duel (2021). Both films were incredible and I really wish I put aside the time to write about them. Alas, that’s how things go. Highly recommend both of them. Maybe I’ll get to writing extensively about them next time.
I started watching two tv series too, the celebrated Showtime series Yellowjackets and the HBO series Peacemaker. Both offer wildly different flavors of shows. One moody, dark, and mysterious (Yellowjackets) and the other bombastic, irreverent, and silly (Peacemaker) but both include elements of intense violence and bloodshed. I am very excited to see how both go.
Brevity is the soul of wit, but I’m afraid I too am disappointed with how short this issue is. Thanks for reading though! Catch you next week!