Hunger Games

Is it a criticism of reality television? Is it an indictment of the 1%? The allegory is slightly vague here, and it seems intentionally so. What sticks out in my memory is when Woody Harrelson is dispensing a last bit of advice to Jennifer Lawrence’s stoic contestant, “Look for fresh water.” Priorities, right? I never read the book, so I can’t comment on how closely it was adapted. But it’s an entertaining and thought-provoking sci-fi parable that probably would not have worked if it weren’t for the dumb-luck casting of Jennifer Lawrence. She brings a world-weary acceptance to the brutal hunger games, of which nobody ever seems to question the purpose. Yet.