If you’re wondering if The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is worth seeing, the short answer is yes.
While I really enjoyed the book and find Suzanne Collins’ writing style to be riveting, I enjoyed the movie more. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve said that about books and movies.
The movie remained true to the book, published in 2020, and covered in more detail in my previous post, which you may read here. Inevitably a single feature film covering a novel means a good portion of the story will be sacrificed for time’s sake; to my absolute surprise and delight, the 15-20% of the book cut made for a seamless story that never felt rushed. The one detail I would have liked a bit more of was to have seen more of the Covey, the family of Lucy Gray, as they were such a sweet break from what is otherwise a very dark and sad story.
To be totally honest, I wasn’t moved emotionally while reading the book, but I ugly-cried twice and became teary-eyed on three other occasions, and both times were during the games. I don’t “ugly cry” in movies very often – to put it in perspective, the only other movies that have moved me to that point thus far are: Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Lovely Bones (that one actually broke me for several hours), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 and 2. (And if we’re talking series, I ugly cried when a particular character died in season 4 of Stranger Things.) I have not seen Sophie’s Choice, but I know enough about it to know I’d also leave a sobbing mess. These movies all have similar themes: characters dealing with devastatingly horrific circumstances and oppressive rulers who believe they are almighty. The characters in all of these stories have to choose between what is right and what is safe.
For Snow, he chooses what is safe for him. Always and only for him.
We already know what President Snow becomes and this tale shows us, at least in part, how he becomes the classy, rose-wearing psychopath who does not “waste.” My husband and I both agreed that we would love to see the next chapter in Snow’s life, his ascension through politics, but I have a feeling that this might be the cap on this story.
The Aesthetics
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie opens in the war-torn capitol when Coriolanus Snow and Tigris, his cousin, are children, fighting to stay alive. They are hunting through the snow and body-lined streets for any scrap of food they can find. My heart broke for the two orphaned children, knowing only too well that this is a reality for countless youth in our real world. This opening scene set the tone for the entire rest of the movie, including even seeing a man chopping off a dead person’s leg because there’s nothing left to eat. This scene was also in the book, albeit a little different, and I found it to be a highly impressionable on Snow’s psyche; while he turns his nose up at the family who became cannibals out of necessity, he metaphorically does the same to anyone in his path, cutting them at the knees so he may not fall.
The setting of the story takes place many decades before the rest of the series and I was impressed by the filmmakers using 1950s-esk styles and technology with the futuristic specs we’d expect from Panem. My husband and I both found the video phone/radio Snow uses toward the movie’s end to be a pretty fun detail. I also particularly loved the fashion in these movies in both the capitol and District 12. There were some haunting scenes where a character (trying not to spoil, but you can probably guess who) is sent to become a peace keeper in 12 – the costuming and architectural surroundings have such a Nazis-youth ambiance to them, I shuddered in my seat a few times during those scenes. The imagery served the mission well of establishing just how dark things would continue to be in this tale.
The Music
Hearing the songs come to life in this movie was incredible. Rachel Zegler, the actress who played Lucy Gray Baird, has a voice that is reminiscent of the old jazz era, that pulls on your heart and makes you lean in. I have every intention of purchasing the soundtrack for this movie, which included many notes from the previous movies; we even got to see and hear the origins of one of the most moving songs from the later episodes in the series.
There were a number of Easter eggs dotted throughout the film, things that foreshadow why the future President Snow has such an eye for Katniss Everdeen, one that does not carry so much of a sliver of affection.
All in all, this movie is violent, it’s not for everyone – if you have any aversions about child violence, then this series is probably not for you, but if you’re interested in seeing how a child becomes a monster, then taking this journey with the young Coriolanus Snow is for you. I’m hoping to try (key word is try) to take some of my students to go see this movie so we may continue our discussions about internal and external conflicts and character development. I’ll let you know in my newsletter if we end up going, which you may sign up for here.
Did you see the movie? I’d love to know what you think! Did it live up to your expectations or leave you wanting more? Let me know in the comments below and until next time, cheers!
