MovieChat Forums > The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Discussion > "besotted school girl routine"

"besotted school girl routine"

posted 9 years ago by thejaynester
3 replies | jump to latest

This part is my biggest issue with this movie. She says in the first movie, "trust me." Then her and Peeta almost eat the berries. She does not say I love you, I can't live without you, I'd rather die than lose you. This was clearly an act of defiance. How does anyone in the Capitol and beyond think it's not? It never looked like it, and all they had to do was say afterwards, oh I love him, couldn't live without him, and they all eat it up? It's so obviously a lie. And Katniss is the WORST actress ever (not JL, I mean the actual character is a bad actress.) And I know a lot of people didn't buy it. But some did?
It's the most unbelievable part of this whole thing for me.

I LOVE Tim Gunn

[–] Cruiser1 9 years ago

Indeed, Katniss didn't love Peeta during the first book/movie. It's only during Catching Fire that she really gets to know him and starts caring about him. Katniss was already pretending to like Peeta during her first Games, so it was easy for the entertainment minded shallow Capitol citizens to see the berries as an act of love. I agree smarter Capitol people like Snow were able to easily see through the ruse, which is why he told Katniss that it was necessary to "convince me" that she loved Peeta.

I liked that the character Katniss wasn't a good actor. It made her more believable, and was also an important plot point. That's why Katniss couldn't do the scripted propos that District 13 designed, and could only be an effective communicator when she was spontaneous.

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I volunteer as tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gvjfldW3A4 :)

[–] BenignPillows 9 years ago

It was supposed to be ambiguous. Even Katniss herself didn't quite understand her reasons for doing it. She thought about it a lot later on. Peeta had grown to mean a lot to her by the end of the Games, but one could certainly also make a case for defiance.

Anyway, it was mostly just the Capitol people who believed the "besotted school girl routine" (which doesn't refer to the berry moment itself, but the interview afterwards). The Districts, just like you, didn't believe it. Hence the rebellion. So there's no reason to hold this against the movie.

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"The best fairytale is one where you believe the people" -Irvin Kershner

[–] Helenlaurence 9 years ago

I think that katniss HAD started to develop feelings for peeta at this stage. She didn't know what they were exactly, but she wanted to protect him, the same way she wanted to protect everyone close to her.
She wasn't a good actress, and when she kissed him, yes it was for the cameras... But I think there was some reality there too.
Katniss was an understandably suspicious person. She grew to trust and rely on peeta.

As to why people believed it- because they wanted to! They wanted a nice 'story' as people do when they watch big brother, for example.