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We also use these cookies to understand how customers use our services (for example, by measuring site visits) so we can make improvements. While elements will feel potentially (and understandably) overly familiar and too soon for some, this is certainly one for those who have found comfort in similar disaster movies.We use cookies and similar tools that are necessary to enable you to make purchases, to enhance your shopping experiences and to provide our services, as detailed in our Cookie Notice. Verdictĭespite the slightly cheesy script and undeniable feel of an Amazon Prime commercial, Songbird is a surprisingly gripping and tense dystopian film framed in a Contagion style pandemic. The brisk 84 minute runtime and smaller, more constrained cast however affect the potential size and scope of the narrative.

While the world building is impressive, with a number of particularly chilling and uncomfortable scenes to add authenticity, I can’t help but feel that there’s a bigger story waiting to be told. As Nico rides across the city making his many delivery drops, the empty landscapes makes for an eerie and atmospheric backdrop, reminiscent of the iconic London Bridge scene from 28 Days Later. As the diverging threads begin to come together in the third act, it’s interesting to see how these characters eventually connect.įilmed using a number of different technologies, with a large inclusion of first person Go-Pro type footage, makes for an immersive and surprisingly innovative approach considering the strict set conditions. While elements will feel potentially (and understandably) overly familiar and too soon for some, this is certainly one for those who have found comfort. Peter Stormare is on hilarious pantomime villain form as the Department of Sanitation, bringing to life a typical Orson Welles-esque character. Despite the slightly cheesy script and undeniable feel of an Amazon Prime commercial, Songbird is a surprisingly gripping and tense dystopian film framed in a Contagion style pandemic.

Demi Moore and Bradley Whitford add the main star power to the film, with Whitford portraying a terribly despicable and privileged individual. Much of the film hinges on the strength of the central performances and on the whole they’re engaging, while KJ Apa’s Nico is particularly easy to root for. But when Sara’s grandmother unexpectedly falls ill, Nico is faced with a tense race against time to track down a rare and highly prized immunity band to help save them from certain detainment.ĭespite the often fragmented cast, which only appear to connect via video calls for a large chunk of the film, Songbird is a surprisingly solid and suspenseful thriller. With the central YA inspired romance between ‘munie’ bicycle courier Nico ( Riverdale’s KJ Apa) and quarantined girlfriend Sara (Sofia Carson), Songbird plays out as a viral spin on Romeo and Juliet. The freedom afforded by these fabled yellow wristbands has led to a rise in counterfeit immunities, sold via a growing black market. That’s unless you’re a ‘muney’ – an individual with a natural immunity to the virus, proven by their yellow wristband. Citizens must comply with daily temperature tests, with those who fail finding themselves shipped off to concentration camps known as Q Zones.
