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I have a burning need to know stuff and I love asking awkward questions.

Monday, October 19, 2015


My Favourite Movies: Divergent (2014)

Of course when Divergent came out I’m sure that many, like me, rolled their eyes and thought ‘here we go again’ with another teenage girl rebel saving the world. I mean, hadn’t The Hunger Games a few years earlier done all this before? Well, yes… and No. It certainly had elements in common (have you noticed that films like this tend to come in clusters even when you take the copycat element into account?), attractive teenage girl [check], only just realising that something isn’t quite right with the world [check], discovers that she has the power to affect the world around her [check], and attract boys [check], become popular [check] and threaten to destroy the society she grew up in [check] seemingly without a whole lot of effort or understanding of what she’s actually doing [check] whilst agonising over her place in the world [check] or whether the boy she likes really likes her [check].

OK, I’m both paraphrasing and being more than a little sarcastic here because (obviously as it appears in my Fave Movies list) I actually liked this movie quite a lot. It starts small, within a single City (Chicago) and within a small community within the city – the Faction of Abnegation. We learn that the Factions had been set up after a terrible war as a way of bringing much needed stability (this is actually explained much better in the book) and we learn that Beatrice is about to take part in her choosing day when she becomes an adult by choosing her Faction. Part of that choice is influenced/determined by a series of test to tell you your aptitude. Unfortunately (except for the plot) Beatrice doesn’t fit any defined Faction completely – she’s Divergent, someone not easily controlled and therefore a threat to the society built on the principle of stability above all else (of Faction before Blood). But Beatrice (now ‘reborn’ as Tris) goes with her heart and chooses the warrior Faction – Dauntless, both a very brave but potentially foolhardy decision especially with what’s coming. Unknown to her (and many others) a rebellion has been brewing – the Faction system is crumbling and a military coup, led by the intellectual Faction called Erudite, using soldiers in Dauntless is about to take place aimed at destroying Tris’s previous Faction, Abnegation (along with her parents). Tris finds herself in the right place at the right time and with the right skillset to become a pivotal player in the events as they unfold – both hiding and utilising her Divergent properties.


There’s quite a lot going on in this movie (and more so the book) than a simple adventure fantasy or post-apocalyptic teen romance. Obviously it’s about growing up and making your own way in the world and recognising who you are outside the family. It’s about growing up and taking responsibility for your own actions. It’s about rebellion and standing up for what is right, it’s about making tough choices and dealing with the consequences. At its core the film is about being different – and the fear that generates in larger (older) society. But it’s about the positive side of being different – about being skilled, about challenging rigid authority, about standing up for your rights and what you believe in. It’s about knowing you’re different and having the courage to accept it, about being comfortable in your own skin.


Of course it helped that I liked the cast – especially Tris (played by the ever cute Shailene Woodley), Christina (played by the sassy and highly likable Zoe Kravitz) and the love interest Four (played by the hunky Theo James). I must also mention Ashley Judd (who I have long admired) who played Tris’s mother and I must admit they really looked like mother/daughter in the scenes together. This film works on multiple levels and you can put as much (or as little) thought into it as you wish – guess which one I did? I enjoyed the 2nd film too and am looking forward to the 3rd and I must get around to catching up with the books too!  

2 comments:

VV said...

I've really enjoyed the Divergent films. I haven't read those books yet. When I saw the Hunger Games, I immediately got the books and devoured them all. I'm not sure why Divergent didn't move me the same way.

CyberKitten said...

Only read the first book so far. It was pretty good although the movie did some things better I thought. There's actually less (or more subtle) teen romance in the first movie....!

I'll read the second book next year in my pile of books into movies I'm planning.