can i just elaborate on canon panic disorder finn for a second. because literally the first scene hes in-the FIRST SCENE- hes having a panic attack.
its very clear frm the directing choices that that’s what it is. the way the camera spins around, the muffled sound, his amplified breathing, and the preoccupation with tiny details..it all adds up to a full blown panic attack. and lemme tell you, when i was watching it, i was in shock. disbelief. amazement.
action movie protags dont usually get to do that. they dont get to be scared, they dont get to lose their cool. but finn does. the audience’s first impression of him is panic. and then he goes on in the movie to be a fantastic character and a HERO.
and idk that just means a LOT to me as a person who. struggles with that sometimes.
i love finn
^^^
He’s allowed to be scared, allowed to panic, allowed to be vulnerable and imperfect… and the movie doesn’t narratively shame him for it. If anyone in the film shames him for his reaction, it’s Phasma, acting in the name of the fascist First Order. (Hint: we’re pretty obviously not supposed to agree with her.)
Finn is allowed to have a panic attack and still be a hero, and that’s so incredibly important. He’s allowed to have a panic attack and for that panic attack to have significant consequences, yet for the panic not to be his defining character trait; Finn is empathetic, he’s funny, he’s brave, he’s smart, and he has anxiety (whether it is inherent or ‘just’ a reaction to battle). And the fact that he’s a black man simply makes that message all the more powerful.
How often are black characters in blockbuster films allowed to be the hero? How often are they allowed to be multi-faceted and imperfect, yet still clearly worthy?
Just… Finn is important.