Songbird is a pandemic movie that could have easily been too close for comfort – so is it? Or is it too over the top to feel real?
Songbird is a movie about trying to survive in a pandemic, more or less. While there are several different characters and story lines, the main one is about an immune courier (KJ Apa) who has fallen in love with a girl he has never met (Sofia Carson). When her apartment becomes contaminated with the virus, he tries to do whatever he can to save her from being taken away to a quarantine camp.
The concept for Songbird was inspired by the pandemic we are going through right now. COVID started years back and has now mutated into the 23 strand. It now kills people within 48 hours, and is still extremely contagious. No one can leave their homes unless they are immune. Those that are immune need to wear a yellow bracelet, and they get jobs like delivering necessary items around town.
These people cannot see friends or family because they are out in the air and “covered in COVID”, as the film says. So immune people can only see immune people. I think this decision in the script was a good one, because it allowed them to film certain people not together.
Since this was literally filmed in a pandemic, certain characters never come in contact with each other. They mostly talk through video or phone calls. This was smart and although it made some parts choppy, I can look past it.
Too Realistic or Over The Top?
Songbird could have easily been too realistic for viewers thanks to what is going on in the world right now. I mean, this is literally based off of and inspired by the pandemic we are going through right now. However, it becomes too over the top to really feel real.
We see people literally being dragged out of their homes by sanitation workers that are wearing radiation suits. There are UV sanitizers at every house, so that items can be delivered without risk of spreading the virus. And of course, military are patrolling the streets and if you don’t show them your yellow bracelet that says you are immune, you are in big trouble.
That isn’t to say it makes it a bad movie. In fact, I welcomed this because it makes it a little less scary. If this was too close to home, I might have turned it off and stopped watching. I will say that seeing all of the roads, buildings, and parks completely abandoned was shocking.
But Why Is It Called Songbird?
So why is this movie called Songbird? Honestly, I have no clue. At all. I don’t feel like that is ever explained. If I had to take a wild guess I would say it has something to do with the YouTuber/singer character. Even though she is a big part of this movie, she isn’t one of the main characters, so I am not sure why they would name it after her.
The only thing I can think of is the fact that at one point, all of the characters are watching her singing video, and that sort of connects them all? I am grasping at straws here but that is the only explanation I can come up with.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed Songbird. I think it was a good mix of realistic and over the top, so that it wasn’t absolutely terrifying. The love story at the center between KJ Apa and Sofia Carson was cute, but a tad predictable. It almost felt like there were too many stories going on once, which made the film a bit choppy. One or two of them could have been removed and Songbird would have flowed a lot better.
My biggest issue with this movie though is the angry sanitation department employee who clearly had his dog murdered in front of him or something. I have no clue what made him this angry, and it is never explained. At least not well. I would have liked more of a background story for him if they were going to make him this off the wall.
In conclusion, Songbird is an interesting take on what we are all going through right now. It won’t be too close to home to scare you, but it is a fun watch. Is it perfect? No. But we could all use a little more entertainment right now.
Check out the scariest quotes from Songbird.
About Songbird
Immune to the COVID-23 virus, a courier races against time to save the woman he loves from a quarantine camp.
Songbird is available to watch via Premium Video On Demand on December 11th!
