Favourite Movie Scenes: Catching Fire's Dystopian Victory Tour
- amisha
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
This week marks the release of Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest book in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. As I impatiently await the delivery of my copy, I'm looking back on one of my favourite scenes from the movies.
Check out the rest of my Favourite Movie Scenes series here.
Perhaps my favourite feature of Suzanne Collins' storytelling is her skill in interweaving truly personal, heart-breaking character work with thought-provoking social commentary about oppression, entertainment, inequality and morality (...and packaging it all in a story for young adults.)
The scene above, from Catching Fire, picks up at the start of Katniss and Peeta's victory tour, the first stop of which is District 11, home to fallen tributes Rue and Thresh. In the wake of their notorious rebellious-suicide-attempt-by-poison-berries, the two victors from District 12 have been forced to continue their faux relationship, playing up to the Capitol's adoring audiences to smooth over their act of defiance. It's a deceit that instantly feels hollow and meaningless in the face of the stark community in front of them, including the grief-stricken families of the dead tributes. They have no inclination for the pageantry that the privileged Capitol residents lap up.
A character suddenly going off-script ("why doesn't he just stick to the cards?") in an effort to be more authentic is a familiar trope (the finale of Succession S2 is a memorable example from the last few years). Usually, however, this authenticity is rewarded, seen as an impulsive sign of bravery or individuality. In the world of Panem, speaking out is deadly. It's only Haymitch, jaded by years of being a prisoner of the system, who instantly recognises the futility and true danger of speaking out.
Katniss' naive attempt at acknowledging the loss suffered by District 11 is no match for the violent oppression of free speech by the Capitol, a reflection of many real-life authoritarian regimes. It's notable that the three-finger salute, which becomes a dangerous and taboo sign of rebellion, started as a customary District 12 expression of respect; it's only this representation of local community and humanity that has the power to threaten the might of the government because it highlights the truth that these are individuals whose lives have equal worth to anyone's, and don't deserve to be thrown away for meaningless entertainment.
This humanity also crops up in the form of survivor's guilt, a theme that continues throughout the trilogy. Katniss had previously resolved to leave the speech to Peeta, but is compelled to say something to acknowledge the loss of her friend Rue, as well as Thresh's mercy. The script along with Jennifer Lawrence's fantastic performance is really affecting - "I see her in the flowers that grow in the meadow by my house, I hear her in a mockingjay's song, I see her in my sister Prim. She was too young, too gentle." It's heartbreaking, and made all the more so by James Newton Howard's score which calls back to the 'Rue's Farewell' theme from the original movie. It's a musical theme that appears throughout the franchise, coming to be associated with loss and grief - but also rebellion.
Its this representation of love and humanity that constantly conflicts with the ruthlessness needed to survive in a cutthroat world like this one.
The Hunger Games stood apart from other YA stories of its generation because of its mature exploration of its themes, but that's not to forget its memorable characters.
At the heart of this story is Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is a character who is both defined by her fierce independence and also her (forced) lack of agency. She is a capable, intelligent hunter - a fighter - thrust into a world of pageantry and politics. It's ironic that to survive she has to go against what makes her a truly great survivor, and instead lean into the lies and performances that allow her to gain favour with Snow and the Capitol. In the fantastic montage that immediately follows this scene, she is forced to smile and deliver her pre-prepared lines even as the citizens of Panem defy the Capitol. Ultimately, despite winning the Games and gaining fame and riches, she's powerless against the oppressive might of an authoritarian regime, except perhaps as a symbol to compel others to rebel.
Thanks for reading this article, now I'm off to get ready for a weekend of power reading!!
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