Film Analysis 3: The Hunger Games
November 30, 2016
COMM 320
The Hunger Games
1) The Hunger Games is a movie that was released in 2012 with a rating of PG-13 and the major characters in this movie are Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark of District 12. This movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the Capitol of Panem maintains control over 12 Districts by holding an annual 'Hunger Games.' A boy and a girl from each District are picked at random, called Tributes, to compete against one another to the death. Every citizen watches this televised event until there is only one Tribute remaining. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are the Tributes representing District 12. Now their lives rely on their wooing, weaponry, and survival skills. How will they do in the games?
2) Peeta and Katniss have an interesting relationship. They started off only as acquaintances and the only thing they really had in common was that they both lived in District 12 and had a brief encounter with each other previously. What really marked the beginning of their friendship/relationship was when they both were taken as Tributes to participate in the Hunger Games. They became closer and closer in training and helped each other survive in the Games which lead to eventually winning together (even though they weren't supposed to. When they were the only two standing and thought they could win together after being told that they could, the rule changed and were told that there could only one winner. They decided that they would rather die together than have only one of them walk out alive. However, the game maker stopped them before they committed suicide and announced them both winners). They relate to each other in that they originate from the same District, they were both taken to the Games, they won the Games together, and they now both live as Victors of the Games. They relate to each other verbally in that they both acknowledge and express the mutual care and love they have developed for one another. They also discuss their previous encounter where Peeta threw bread to Katniss when she was weak and out in the rain. They also relate in that they kind of communicate in the same way. Katniss and Peeta are both quiet and mellow. Peeta, however, is more of a people pleaser. For example, he was waving out the window when he arrived at the Capitol. He also tried to get Katniss to leave him when he was injured because it would raise her chances of survival.
3) Katniss and Primrose (her sister): They have a very close relationship. Out of love and concern for her sister, Katniss volunteered in her place after Prim was chosen as a Tribute. Based off of Katniss' sacrifice to go in Prim's place, I would say that they are in the bonding stage. She publicly displayed her commitment and love for her sister and throughout the movie expresses how much she cares about her.
Katniss and Peeta: The movie depicts their relationship to be seen in two different ways, the way the
people in the movie see the two and how their relationship actually
is, as seen by the viewer. During the Games, there was an announcement
that said there could be two Victors, both being from the same
District. When that was announced, Katniss went and found Peeta. When
they were the last two standing, there was another announcement that
stated there could only be one Victor instead of two. Instead of one
killing the other, Katniss pulled out poisonous berries for them both to
eat instead of only one of them walking away alive. Before they ate
the berries, it was announced that they had both won. Katniss and
Peeta, as a result, had to lie about being madly in love and not being
able to live without each other as a way to explain their actions. This
would prevent people from thinking that what they did was a sign of
mutiny against the Capitol by disobeying the rules. It would prevent an uprising from the
Districts. So, the people of Panem, based on this lie, see Peeta and Katniss
most likely in the integrating stage. They see them both as the recent Victors of the Hunger Games, and as a couple. They are seen as and referred to as a single unit. However, their relationship, as seen by the viewer, really develops to be in the beginning of the intensifying stage. Even though they are only acquaintances at the beginning of the movie, they work their way up to the intensifying stage through their experience of being at the Games together and get closer and closer as a result. This is seen by their communication being more open and intimate. Towards the end of the movie, they talk more openly with each other about feelings and what they are experiencing.
4) One very clear conflict arose when Katniss went to get the medicine for Peeta. It was out in the open, and she had to be aware of her surroundings to avoid getting killed. She ran to get the medicine but after she retrieved it, she was attacked by another Tribute from District 2. She threw a knife and it grazed Katniss' forehead. Katniss tried to shoot her 2 times but missed. When they met, they struggled for a while until she pinned Katniss down and put a knife to her throat. She then started teasing Katniss about trying to help "lover boy" (Peeta) and went on by saying it was too bad that she wasn't able to help her little friend, Rue. She proceeded to say, "we killed her, and now we're going to kill you." (Rue was an alliance with Katniss. She helped Katniss fight other Tributes and when Katniss was hurt, Rue watched over her. Rue was killed by another Tribute and Katniss honored her by surrounding her with flowers and saluting Rue's District.) Before the rival Tribute killed Katniss, the male from Rue's District grabbed her, ripped her off of Katniss, pinned her against a wall and asked, "Did you kill her?!" to which she responded, "No!" and he said, "I heard you!" and while she was yelling for her ally to come help her, he yelled, "You said her name, you said her name!" and proceeded to kill her. After doing away with her, he let Katniss get away this one time in honor of Rue. Katniss then left and brought the medicine to Peeta. Anyways, the conflict that I want to evaluate is between the girl from District 2 that tried to kill Katniss and Katniss herself. This conflict obviously had an extreme style of Competing. To be more specific, it was direct aggression, both physically and verbally. Katniss was silent and struggling for her life while her rival threatened, ridiculed, and teased her. This was about to be a win-lose situation ending in death until the male from Rue's district came and turned the tables in the same manner against Katniss' rival.
5) Before Katniss had to go to the Capitol on the train, she was allowed 3 minutes with her family to say goodbye. Her sister Primrose and her mother came into the room and Katniss first reassured and said goodbye to Prim. Then she went over to her mom and it was evident that she had little respect for her. She looks bluntly at her mother and says, "You can't tune out again." to which her mother replies, "I won't." Katniss goes on with, "No, you can't. Not like when dad died. I won't be there anymore, you're all she has. No matter what you feel, you have to be there for her, you understand? Don't cry." She then roughly pulls her mother in for a hug and says, "Don't cry, don't, don't." This marks the end of their time together and soldiers from the Capitol take her family away. Then Katniss' friend Gale comes in to say goodbye and tells her that she is strong and can win. As soldiers pull Gale away, Katniss tells him to take care of them (her family) and to not let them starve. What I think would help the relationship between Katniss and her mother is if Katniss exhibited more empathy for her mother and if her mother expressed more clearly how she is feeling, especially after the death of her husband. They should sit down and talk about what has been going on to improve the relationship. More specifically, they should try Collaborative Problem Solving where Katniss and her mother can express their unmet needs and problems, consider each others point of views and figure out how to overcome and work through the problems together. However, this would have to wait for another time, after the Games are over.
6) Metacommunication could definitely be used to improve the relationship between Katniss and her mother. From the situation described above, it is evident that they do not communicate very well. When Katniss told her mother to not cry, you could see the look in her mother's face that expressed she was shocked and kind of hurt. How can a mother not cry when her daughter essentially has a death sentence? She would never see her again if she lost the Games. Anyways, from the get go, when her mother first tuned out after the death of her husband, Katniss should have expressed that she didn't appreciate her mother's lack of communication and distance with her and Prim. Katniss' mother should have expressed how she didn't appreciate what Katniss said to her when they were saying goodbye. To fix their relationship, they need to use metacommunication because the problem in their relationship is overall lack of communication and expression of what is going on internally.
7) I think my communication behavior most resembles Katniss'. She speaks only when she has something important to say, and doesn't open up much to those she is not close with. For example, when Peeta and Katniss were on the train headed to the Capitol shortly after they met, Katniss was silent when Peeta tried talking to her and asking her questions. However, the more time she spent with him the more willing she was to talk, open up, and discuss personal experiences and feelings.
*I tried twice to put pictures in but for some reason it wasn't working...
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