Juan You - Hunger Games (Movie Post)

Many people of the religious persuasion almost always try to see a spiritual side to every story, one that will tie their faith in with what they're reading or watching so that they can teach their children something that pertains to their beliefs, perhaps even morally.
Regardless of Suzanne Collins' neglect for religion in her book, the overall story behind "The Hunger Games" still echo some sense of spirituality. The movie follows the story of a young teenager, Katniss, who is forced to enter a competition for her 'district' in a futuristic, dystopian society where children from each of the 12 districts are chosen to compete with each other to the death for a grand prize of a life of luxury. Their competition is televised for everyone to see, and the murdering starts between all the teenagers for survival.
At first, the very idea of Katniss entering the competition is somewhat spiritual – she exemplifies self-sacrifice for her sister, who was chosen to be one of the competitors for her district. She volunteers to be a stand-in for her young sister, even though her chances to survive are very small. This very idea very honorable to us today – soldier sacrifice themselves for the protection of their country and loved one, and Katniss is no different. As many of is know, the very foundation of Christianity also involves self-sacrifice.
This idea, along with hope, love, and faith, are all present in the film. Though it is not directly stated as religious, these elements are sacred. Katniss hopes to get out of the competition through other means, and she meets Peeta, a young man who has strong feelings for her. Their love for each other is not as sexual as some teenage movies, but rather it is exemplified through mutual respect and spirituality.
However, what I find most interesting about this film was the fact that everything was televised. I never read the book, but the very depiction of the games being shown worldwide like a reality television series was very familiar in a sense. It was like a parallel of the real world.
Killing and murder are always central themes in not only movies and shows, but also the news. By televising these events, we are spectators. And in a similar sense, when we watch Katniss and the others compete with each other in the Hunger Games, we are also like the citizens of Panem, watching and eagerly anticipating what happens next. The news likes to broadcast huge murder sprees and killings that happen everyday, but that doesn't stop us from watching.
I thought this was an interesting parallel. It is similar to the Gladiatorial Games from the ancient world, where the blood and guts was what lured people to watch. This, in a sense, seems barbaric and unhumane of us – watching these teenagers kill each other violently. But then again, if we were so off-put by the idea of killing, we would have just walked out of the theater. But instead, we sat their eagerly with popcorn, waiting for the killing to ensue.
It is almost as if we are watching the Games in real-time. We are part of the audience, and this raises many questions about our personalities. What makes violence and killing so intriguing for us to watch? We know it is a horrible, yet we cannot stop ourselves from watching it. It is, in this sense, ironic.