The Hunger Games is definitely pretty dark for a young adult series, seeing as how it involves children fighting each other to the death under the watchful eye of an evil government. However, if you watch the films or read the books as an adult, there are plenty of things you catch that most younger people won't. From the way in which the two main characters break the gender norms of a traditional Hollywood blockbuster to the commentary on PTSD and slavery, let's take a look at some things in The Hunger Games that you only notice as an adult.
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00:00It's been a few years since Katniss first captivated us with her charm, fierce loyalty,
00:05and righteous archery skills, so when you go back to re-watch the Hunger Games movies,
00:10you'll pick up on a lot more about them now than you did the first time around.
00:13Here are some things you only notice about the Hunger Games as an adult.
00:17All four movies pass the Bechdel test
00:20If you don't know about the Bechdel-Wallace test, the rules are pretty simple.
00:24A film passes if there are at least two women with names featured, they talk to each other
00:28at some point, and when they do, they talk about something other than a man.
00:32It sounds simple, but there are thousands of movies that don't actually make the grade.
00:36The Hunger Games movies, however, all pass the test.
00:40Want proof?
00:41In the first movie, Katniss has conversations with Prim, Effie, and Rue about lots of things,
00:46although Rue does mention PETA.
00:47In the second film, Katniss talks to Prim, Joanna, Mags, and Wyrus about everything from
00:53fishhooks to clocks.
00:54In the third film, she talks to Prim about becoming a doctor, and Cressida about making
00:59propos.
01:00And in the fourth, she talks to Joanna about their shared trauma, and to Alma Coyne about
01:03battle strategy.
01:04Katniss and PETA swap traditional gender roles
01:08You might not notice it if you're wrapped up in the drama of the games, but Katniss
01:12and PETA don't exactly conform to traditional gender roles.
01:16Katniss is strong, stubborn, and heroic, while PETA is kind, deferential, and submissive.
01:21As Linda Holmes noted on NPR, Katniss challenges a lot of traditional narratives about girls.
01:26She carries a bow.
01:28She fights.
01:29She kills.
01:30She survives.
01:31She's emotionally unavailable.
01:32She'd rather act than talk.
01:33But do you see that?
01:36Fire is catching, and if we burn, you burn with us!
01:43All of those traits are almost always ascribed to men in Hollywood films, making Katniss
01:47a true outlier.
01:49Then there's PETA.
01:51Hi.
01:52Hey.
01:53How did you do that?
01:54I, uh, I used to decorate the cakes down at the bakery.
01:59He openly expresses his feelings, wears his heart on his sleeve, and follows Katniss'
02:03lead throughout the films and books.
02:05Given how successful the franchise was, perhaps more movies would cash in big if they broke
02:09the mold more often.
02:11Gale is a jerk
02:13Gale is a tall, brooding hunter who works in the minds of District 12, and sometimes
02:18his confidence clouds his judgment, rendering him insensitive and even condescending.
02:23In other words, Gale can be kind of a jerk.
02:25In the opening scene of the first film, he interrupts Katniss when she's trying to hunt
02:29a deer, and acts like she wouldn't know what to do with it.
02:32At the beginning of the second movie, she reasonably suggests that they run away, but
02:36he talks her out of it.
02:37And in the third film, he has no sympathy for PETA, who's been tortured and brainwashed
02:42in the Capitol, despite Katniss telling him how horrific it can be.
02:46Gale's kind of a creep.
02:48The PTSD of the victors
02:50Haymitch is an unapologetic alcoholic throughout the films, since he's trying to kill the pain
02:55of his past trauma.
02:56Joanna steals Katniss' medicine after being tortured in the Capitol to calm her mind,
03:01and Katniss herself wakes up screaming from horrific nightmares.
03:04Clinical psychologist Dr. Janina Scarlett wrote that it's clear Katniss and the other
03:09victors are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and after what they had to
03:13endure in the games and at the hands of the Capitol, it's completely understandable.
03:17In addition to the nightmares, Katniss has flashbacks to the demise of Rue in the first
03:21film, the destruction of District 12 in the third film, and nearly losing PETA multiple
03:26times, leaving her prone to moodiness, sleep disruption, and a tendency to be avoidant.
03:31Even when she enjoys peace with PETA and their children, she still suffers, telling her infant
03:36that one day, she'll tell them why.
03:39District 11 and American slavery
03:41District 11 produces crops for the Capitol, and is one of the poorer districts along with
03:45District 12.
03:46But unlike 12, nearly all of the residents of 11 have dark skin.
03:50Frankly, it doesn't take much digging to notice that District 11 is a direct comment on American
03:55slavery.
03:56There's an electric fence around the perimeter, preventing anyone from leaving.
04:00They're held there by threat of violence and subject to brutal punishments from the peacekeepers,
04:04such as public whipping if you're caught running away.
04:07Residents of the district have to labor in fields, but the crops they produce are all
04:11sent to the Capitol, leaving them malnourished.
04:14It's not hard to see what District 11 and the Capitol represent.
04:18Cinna actually sparked the revolution
04:21There's no question that Katniss volunteering to save her sister at the reaping was brave,
04:25but that alone wouldn't have been enough to ignite the revolution.
04:28Enter Cinna, whose stylistic genius and devotion to Katniss are the perfect catalyst to turn
04:33her into the Mockingjay.
04:34He's one of the first people in the Capitol who is genuinely nice to her.
04:38And unlike past stylists, he's not just going to dress her up as a coal miner.
04:42Instead, he dresses Peeta and Katniss in flames, getting the attention of everyone
04:46in Panem.
04:47Then, in Catching Fire, he designs a wedding dress that flares up into a Mockingjay — and
04:52pays for it with his life.
04:54Whether he was in on it or not, he outfitted her for the revolution.
05:07Finnick is actually nice
05:08Finnick O'Dare first appears on screen almost halfway into Catching Fire, decked out for
05:13the tribute parade.
05:14He's enjoyed a life of luxury ever since winning the Games years ago, but his high life has
05:18some darker strings attached.
05:20While they don't go into it much in the films, Finnick has been sold as an object by President
05:24Snow to wealthy Capitol patrons, who use him for anything they want.
05:29He alludes to it in his first conversation with Katniss, when he brings up secrets as
05:32being the ultimate currency of the Capitol.
05:35What about you, girl on fire?
05:37Any secrets worth my time?"
05:40So if you've ever wondered why he was willing to fight for the revolution, that's probably
05:44a big factor.
05:46President Snow's poisonous past
05:48It's easy to miss that President Snow sometimes bleeds from the mouth, and while you might
05:52assume he has a disease like tuberculosis, that's not the case.
05:56In the books, Finnick reveals that President Snow rose to power at a young age by poisoning
06:01anyone who got in his way, whether they were friend or foe.
06:04In order to deflect any suspicion, he drank from the poisoned cup as well, and acquired
06:09sores in his mouth from the poison that will never heal.
06:12That's also why he wears perfume-scented roses, too, to cover up the smell of blood from his
06:17mouth.
06:18Never let them see you bleed.