Songbird (2020 Film)
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''Songbird'' is a 2020 American
dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...
n science fiction thriller film based on the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. It was directed by Adam Mason, who wrote the screenplay with Simon Boyes. Produced by
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
, Adam Goodman, Andrew Sugerman and Eben Davidson, the film features an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...
of
KJ Apa Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997), known by his stage name KJ Apa, is a New Zealand actor. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the C ...
,
Sofia Carson Sofia Lauren Daccarett Char (born April 10, 1993), known professionally as Sofia Carson, is an American actress and singer. Her first appearance on television was as a guest star on the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' (2014). In 2015, ...
, Craig Robinson,
Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
,
Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Stormare (; Birth name, né Storm, 27 August 1953) is a Swedish actor. He played Prince Hamlet, Hamlet for Ingmar Bergman, Gaear Grimsrud in the film ''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996) and List of Prison Break characters#John ...
,
Alexandra Daddario Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). She has since starred in '' Hall Pass'' (2011), '' Texas Chainsaw 3D' ...
,
Paul Walter Hauser Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor and wrestler. He is best known for his portrayal of Stingray in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'' and providing the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar's ''Inside Out 2'' (2024). He pla ...
and
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
, depicting their struggle living under a highly strict and brutal quarantine by the highly authoritarian government in the midst of a mutating virus outbreak. The project was announced in May 2020, with screenwriters Adam Mason and Simon Boyes having come up with the idea in March, shortly after the pandemic stopped all film production; the cast joined in June. ''Songbird'' was released through
premium video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting ...
on December 11, 2020, by STX Films. It was overwhelmingly panned by critics, who said it did not take advantage of its premise, although Stormare's performance was praised by some.


Plot

By 2024,
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
has been mutated into COVID-23 and the world is in its fourth quarantine year. In the United States, the nation's government is converted into a fascist
police state A police state describes a state whose government institutions exercise an extreme level of control over civil society and liberties. There is typically little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the exec ...
and the people are required to take temperature checks on their cell phones while those infected with COVID-23 are taken from their homes against their will and forced into quarantine camps, also known as "Q-Zones" or
concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...
, where some fight back against the brutal restrictions. In these camps, the infected are left to die or forcibly get better. Nico Price, a motorbike
courier A courier is a person or organization that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...
with
immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity ...
, due to the fact he was infected with the virus, is in a virtual relationship with Sara Garcia, a young artist living with her grandmother Lita whose lockdown prohibits them from physical contact. Nico works for Lester, who specializes in delivering packages to wealthy individuals. One of their biggest clients is the Griffins, Piper and William, whose daughter Emma has an auto-immune disorder. William is a former record executive having a sexual
affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...
with May, a singer who makes a living online selling covers of classic songs. May develops a bond with Michael Dozer, a disabled war veteran who works for Lester as a
drone Drone or The Drones may refer to: Science and technology Vehicle * Drone, a type of uncrewed vehicle, a class of robot ** Unmanned aerial vehicle or aerial drone *** Unmanned combat aerial vehicle ** Unmanned ground vehicle or ground drone ** Unma ...
operator to keep track of their couriers. One night, Lita begins to show symptoms of COVID-23 while the "sanitation" department, led by Emmett Harland, is forcing Sara's neighbor Alice out of her apartment after she becomes infected. Emmett warns Sara that their apartment building has seen a rise in infections. He has also killed one of the infected individuals who escaped from the nearby Q-zone with a
pocket knife A pocketknife (also spelled as pocket knife) is a knife with one or more blades that fold into the handle. They are also known as jackknives, folding knives, EDC knife, or may be referred to as a penknife, though a penknife may also be a specif ...
. Sara informs Nico about Lita's condition, leading Nico to spend the night by Sara's apartment door. In the morning, Sara passes her temperature check, but Lita fails hers. Nico promises to keep Sara from being taken. Nico contacts Lester to let him know that he's aware they are transporting illegal immunity wristbands. Lester tells him the Griffins are the ones selling them. When he goes to their house, the Griffins give Nico the phone number of their supposed supplier. Nico ends up meeting with Emmett at a warehouse, revealing it to be a trap which Nico escapes. As Sara is waiting for Nico, Lita dies. The "sanitation" department arrives to bag Lita and detain Sara. Sara knocks out one of the members and takes his
hazmat suit A hazmat suit is a piece of personal protective equipment that consists of an permeation, impermeable whole-body or one piece garment worn as protection against hazardous materials. Such suits are often combined with self-contained breathing ap ...
before escaping the building. Emmett and his team ultimately catch up to Sara, where he notes that Sara has yet to show symptoms of COVID-23 despite her exposure and is therefore immune. Sara is detained shortly afterward. William demands to see May again, but May continually refuses, claiming she recorded him offering her an illegal immunity wristband. Piper overhears William's phone call with May and kicks him out of the house. William leaves to silence May, which Piper calls May to warn her about. May asks Michael if she can stay with him, to which he agrees. When May tries to leave, William arrives and tries to kill her, but Michael uses a weaponized drone to fatally shoot William. Nico returns to the Griffins and confronts Piper, who says she was concerned Nico was trying to expose their illegal business. When Nico says he's only interested in saving Sara, Piper finally agrees to help and gives him a wristband for Sara. Nico returns to Sara's apartment to find Emmett, who tries to attack Nico but is stabbed by Nico in self-defense. Nico finds Sara's cell phone with a picture of the containment van and its tail number. With Lester and Michael's help, Nico races to the Q-Zone before Sara can be taken in. Nico is able to slip the immunity bracelet on Sara in time to be scanned, saving her from quarantine. As they embrace for the first time, Sara tells Nico she is truly immune. In the aftermath, Piper and May frame William and Emmett as those responsible for the sale of illegal immunity wristbands. May and Michael begin a virtual relationship. Nico sends Lester his own immunity bracelet as thanks while he and Sara ride up the Pacific Coast Highway.


Cast

*
KJ Apa Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997), known by his stage name KJ Apa, is a New Zealand actor. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the C ...
as Nico Price *
Sofia Carson Sofia Lauren Daccarett Char (born April 10, 1993), known professionally as Sofia Carson, is an American actress and singer. Her first appearance on television was as a guest star on the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' (2014). In 2015, ...
as Sara Garcia * Craig Robinson as Lester *
Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
as William Griffin *
Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Stormare (; Birth name, né Storm, 27 August 1953) is a Swedish actor. He played Prince Hamlet, Hamlet for Ingmar Bergman, Gaear Grimsrud in the film ''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996) and List of Prison Break characters#John ...
as Emmett Harland *
Elpidia Carrillo Elpidia Carrillo (born August 16, 1961) is a Mexican actress and director. Her career includes roles in both film and television. Internationally she is best known for supporting roles in ''Predator'', '' Bread and Roses,'' '' Nine Lives'' and ' ...
as Lita Garcia *
Alexandra Daddario Alexandra Anna Daddario (born March 16, 1986) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough portraying Annabeth Chase in the ''Percy Jackson'' film series (2010–2013). She has since starred in '' Hall Pass'' (2011), '' Texas Chainsaw 3D' ...
as May * Lia McHugh as Emma Griffin *
Paul Walter Hauser Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor and wrestler. He is best known for his portrayal of Stingray in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'' and providing the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar's ''Inside Out 2'' (2024). He pla ...
as Michael Dozer *
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
as Piper Griffin *
Michole Briana White Michole Briana White is an American actress. She began her career while appearing on numerous of television sitcoms before portraying Lucille Flenory on the Starz' crime series '' Black Mafia Family'' (since 2020). White also appeared in many fi ...
as Alice


Production


Development and casting

On March 14, 2020, Adam Mason received a call from Simon Boyes, who had an idea for a film based on the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The pair spent the following weekend plotting out the film, pitching their idea to producer Adam Goodman near the end of March. In May 2020, it was reported that
Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special eff ...
, Goodman and Eben Davidson would produce a film about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, titled ''Songbird.'' Mason, who co-wrote the screenplay with Boyes, was set to direct. In June 2020,
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
, Craig Robinson,
Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Stormare (; Birth name, né Storm, 27 August 1953) is a Swedish actor. He played Prince Hamlet, Hamlet for Ingmar Bergman, Gaear Grimsrud in the film ''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996) and List of Prison Break characters#John ...
and
Paul Walter Hauser Paul Walter Hauser (born October 15, 1986) is an American actor and wrestler. He is best known for his portrayal of Stingray in the Netflix series ''Cobra Kai'' and providing the voice of Embarrassment in Pixar's ''Inside Out 2'' (2024). He pla ...
were cast. In July,
Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...
,
KJ Apa Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa (born 17 June 1997), known by his stage name KJ Apa, is a New Zealand actor. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street'' (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the C ...
and
Sofia Carson Sofia Lauren Daccarett Char (born April 10, 1993), known professionally as Sofia Carson, is an American actress and singer. Her first appearance on television was as a guest star on the Disney Channel series ''Austin & Ally'' (2014). In 2015, ...
joined the cast. The cast were remotely trained in preparation for the shoot.


Filming

Principal production commenced on July 8, 2020, in Los Angeles. Filming was initially halted by
SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
, who granted the production permission to proceed a day later. The film wrapped on August 3, 2020. It became the first film to shoot in Los Angeles during the lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions. The production adhered to safety protocols including regular testing, a maximum crew size of 40 per day, and keeping actors separated. Bay, who was one of the producers, directed the film's action scenes.


Music

In October 2020,
Lorne Balfe Lorne Balfe (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish composer of film, television and video game scores. A veteran of Hans Zimmer's Remote Control Productions, Balfe's scoring credits include the films '' Megamind'', ''Penguins of Madagascar'', ...
confirmed to score the film. The soundtrack album was released on December 11, 2020, by
Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired ...
. The song " Three Little Birds" by
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
, was featured in the film's official trailer. The film's end title, "Kingdom" was released on the same day alongside the film. Performed and written by artist Roseanna (Røyale), who is former lead singer, Roseanna Brown of The Rua. Co-written and produced by Irish singer and producer Liam Geddes.


Release

In August 2020,
STX Entertainment STX Entertainment is an American independent entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth managing partner Bill McGlashan, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projec ...
acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released through premium VOD on December 11, 2020, and was planned to be released on a major
streaming service provider A streaming media service (also simply called a streaming service) is an online platform that allows users to watch or listen to content, such as movies, TV shows, music, or podcasts, over the internet. Instead of downloading the content to the ...
in 2021. It became the fourth-most rented film on
FandangoNow Fandango at Home (formerly known as Vudu) is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand renta ...
in its debut weekend. The trailer was released in October 2020, with a poor response from critics and audiences. Criticism was aimed towards the production and timing of release due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, as well as romanticization of the topic, being compared unfavorably to ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
''.


Critical response

On
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critics consensus reads: "Muddled, tedious, and uninspired, ''Songbird''s gimmick never coalesces into a meaningful story about pandemic lockdown." At
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 27 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Alonso Duralde Alonso Duralde (born May 18, 1967) is an American film critic, author, and podcaster. He has been a writer and editor for ''The Film Verdict'', ''The Wrap'', ''The Advocate (LGBT magazine), The Advocate'' and MSNBC.com. Personal life Duralde ...
of ''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
'' wrote "It's not inherently misguided to use a current tragedy as the jumping-off point of a genre movie, but any filmmaker who decides to do so had better create something provocative or interesting or at least competent to justify it." Writing for IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a "D" and said, "For all of its gimmicky appeal, ''Songbird'' is bad enough that your entire neighborhood will be able to smell it streaming onto your TV, and it gets worse faster than your nose can adjust to the stench."
Korey Coleman Korey Coleman (born September 9, 1971) is an American film critic, animator, podcaster, filmmaker, voice actor, and comedian. He is best known for his now defunct film review site, Spill.com, and its current spiritual successor, Double Toasted. ...
of '' Double Toasted'' found Peter Stormare's performance humorous, but criticized the overall message of the film, calling it "irresponsible", and noted the numerous plot holes imbued by the love story which overtook the entire premise. Rebecca Onion of ''Slate'' wrote: "''Songbird'' isn't very good, which you might expect for something thrown together so quickly... But watching it in the midst of our slow-motion disaster, it looks not just bad, but ridiculous." Brian Tallerico of ''
RogerEbert.com ''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times ...
'' gave the film 0/4 stars and wrote: "The truth is that even if one sets aside all potential moral arguments about the very existence of ''Songbird'', it's still just really bad."
Frank Scheck Frank Scheck is an American film critic. He is best known for his reviews in the ''New York Post'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter''. He formerly edited ''STAGES Magazine'' and worked as a theater critic for the ''Christian Science Monitor ''Th ...
of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote: "Despite the high-stakes drama, there's nary a compelling moment throughout, and some of the characterizations... are so absurdly one-note that it's hard not to think that the film is meant as parody."
Kevin Maher Kevin Andrew Maher (born 17 October 1976) is a former professional footballer and coach who played as a midfielder. He is head coach of National League side Southend United. Born in England, he represented the Republic of Ireland international ...
of ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' was more positive in his review of the film, giving four out of five stars and writing: "It's patchy, admittedly, in places... but it's also audacious and the first mainstream film to address unapologetically, in every scene, in every frame of film, our present situation." Benjamin Lee of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' gave the film three out of five stars, saying that it was "an acceptably watchable thriller that's more notable for what it achieves technically than anything else."
Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic. Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He edited the university's student newspaper, '' The Saint''. Collin has been the chief film critic at ''The ...
of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' also gave the film three out of five stars, saying that it was "even more spectacularly crass and exploitative than you could have possibly hoped", and concluded: "''Songbird'' itself delivers an enjoyably tactless jolt of trash-cinema bravado."


References


External links

* * * * {{Platinum Dunes 2020 films 2020 thriller films 2020s science fiction thriller films American science fiction thriller films American films about the COVID-19 pandemic Films not released in theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films produced by Michael Bay Films scored by Lorne Balfe Films set in the 2020s Films set in 2024 Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Platinum Dunes films STX Entertainment films 2020s dystopian films Films about security and surveillance Films about mass surveillance Films about freedom of expression 2020 science fiction films 2020s English-language films Films directed by Adam Mason 2020s American films American dystopian films English-language science fiction thriller films