Director: Neil Burger
Rating: 12A
Release: 4 April
Imagine living in a world where being different makes you dangerous.
Divergent, based on the best-selling novel by Veronica Roth, is set in post-apocalyptic Chicago, where society is divided into five factions: Abnegation (selfless), Erudite (intelligent), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), and Dauntless (brave). At the age of sixteen, each citizen takes a test to confirm what faction they belong to. But what if you belong to more than one faction? What if you’re Divergent?
Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) is exactly that: Divergent. You’d think she’d get a pat in the back for being so unique, right? Wrong. Being Divergent gives Beatrice the ability to think independently, and so the government can’t control her. This, of course, makes her their biggest threat yet.
Knowing that her life is at stake, she hides inside the Dauntless faction to survive. But the story doesn’t end there. At her new home, her bravery is put to the test by a string of new obstacles: jumping off buildings, physical fighting, and her strict (but very handsome) training instructor. Of course she tries to keep her head down, to go unnoticed and stay out of trouble – but this is a movie, and that’s just unrealistic. It’s not long before Beatrice discovers a secret plan to overthrow the government – and worse yet – to eliminate Divergents.
Woodley’s acting is immense. She so naturally portrays the ordinary weakling, a girl who doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body (why did she choose Dauntless again?) but makes us root for her anyway. What I love about Beatrice is that she’s so relatable: she’s not a natural fighter – she’s just your average girl-next-door. But through her determination to succeed, she slowly but surely steps up to the plate and shows us what she’s made of.
Perhaps this film is so popular because the youth of today can so easily relate to it. Teenagers everywhere are struggling to find their identities; to find their place in society. Just like Beatrice is forced to choose only one faction, we are forced to choose one university, one career, one social status. But what if we can’t choose? What if we have multiple talents? If this movie teaches us anything, it’s that being different shouldn’t be taken for granted. We’re all Divergent, in one way or another.
It’s an all-action, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of film. Beatrice’s descent through Dauntless leaves us with far too many nail-biting moments, and questions are on the tip of our tongue throughout the full film: Will Beatrice survive Dauntless initiation? Will her secret be revealed? And what’s so dangerous about being Divergent anyway?
All of these questions are eventually answered, but you’ll have to go and watch the film to get them…
[rating=4]
