Warning: spoilers!
If you want to talk game-changer, look no further than Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. After the publication of her first book, back in 2008, there was a massive surge of dystopian narratives within the YA genre. Following the success of the book franchise, Lionsgate released the film series, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. They too, proved to be insanely popular, and rightly so, they were hugely entertaining. In 2020, Collins excited fans with a prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, exploring the backstory of Coriolanus Snow, the main antagonist of the original Hunger Games series. In all honesty, I did not know that a prequel existed before the release of the adapted film's trailer earlier this year, and I wasn't completely set on going to see it. That was mostly down to the fact that I hadn't seen the original series for quite some time.
For a little context: The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian North America where the wealthy Capitol runs the poorer thirteen districts. Every year, the Capitol hosts a nationally televised event called The Hunger Games, where a boy and girl- between the ages of 12 and 18, from each of the twelve districts must fight to the death until there is but one survivor. These games are to serve as a punishment for the districts' previously failed uprising against the Capitol. The books and subsequent films centre around Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers to take her sister Primrose's place in the 74th annual Hunger Games, after the latter is selected as the competitor that year. Following Katniss' participation in the games within the first story, the remainder of the series focuses on Katniss and the districts' next revolution against the Capitol. Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before these events, essentially following the young Coriolanus Snow, the main antagonist in the original Hunger Games series, on his journey towards becoming the Capitol's tyrannical president, exploring his significant relationships, including the intimate one held between him and District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird, who competes during the 10th annual Hunger Games under Coriolanus' mentoring.
After seeing Songbirds and Snakes, I was left with two major takeaways. The first is that marketing for the masses can be something incredibly sinister, specifically when it comes to marketing human suffering for the sake of entertainment, or in Coriolanus' case for personal gain. Entertaining the masses through human suffering has been around since the Roman Ages, when gladiators, whether slaves or volunteers, fought to the death in front of big crowds. Reality shows, such as ones revolving around talent competitions, where many participants compete against each other for a shot at making their dream a reality, are, in essence, the modern equivalent. People and their talent are marketed towards the viewers during such competitions, the ones who can help them win and have their talent made known to the world- even if it's at the expense of their sanity.
The Hunger Games are no exception. Much of the tributes' survival boils down to how they are marketed to the outside world. Indeed, how much a viewer likes a tribute will determine the latter's fate. Throughout the original Hunger Games series- although most prominently in the first story, Katniss is mentored on how to gain likability from the Capitol so that she has a better chance of winning the games. She is encouraged to play on the Capitol peoples' hearts, i.e. by stressing just how important sacrificing herself for her sister is during a television interview, and by forging a fake- although later real, relationship with fellow District 12 participant Peeta Mellark during the actual televised games. And to her and her mentors' credit, it works. She receives sponsorships throughout the games, many of which provide her with food and water, helping her to stay strong. At the beginning of Songbirds and Snakes, when ratings for the games remain low only ten years after the games were first established, Hunger Games co-founder Casca Highbottom asks for ways to increase viewership. Coriolanus suggests investing time in forming and cultivating personal relationships between the tributes and viewers, laying the groundwork for the sponsorship scheme that would play a significant role in all future games. Much like in the original Hunger Games series with the tributes being interviewed on TV before the games, Coriolanus and his classmates, all of whom serve as mentors to the competing tributes, build relationships between the tributes and viewers through placing cameras on themselves as they interact with their mentees sitting behind bars. It is important to note that when we say 'behind bars', we mean zoo bars. An interesting choice really, if we consider how the 'cage' aspect of a zoo environment can reflect the tributes' entrapment, and the 'wild animal' element can reveal how the Capitol downgrades them to animals serving the sole purpose of being there for show.
Whilst Coriolanus' official title is 'mentor' to Lucy Gray, it might be more appropriate to call him her 'manager', in charge of advertising her as a whole brand. He effectively dictates many of her moves during the games, such as pushing promotion of her by advising her to sing on TV before the games start- something she eventually commits to, gaining popularity amongst the games' viewers. He also does not oppose her loudly colourful dress during the games, enabling her to set herself apart from her fellow competitors and be memorable to viewers. Consider the fact too, that 'rainbow' holds the connotations of 'inclusivity', 'love', and 'belonging'; you might argue then that Lucy Gray's dress helps her tap into the hearts of viewers even more, making them feel more personally connected to her, thereby winning her more favour. One last point I'd like to make, regarding the film's commentary on marketing, has to do with the media's power of manipulation. Like most brands and organisations in the world, the Capitol uses marketing as a way to show the games in a positive and favourable light. This is most obvious during Coriolanus' attempt to get his fellow mentor Sejanus Plinth out of the games' arena when the latter goes to mourn his dead tribute. Game maker Dr Volumnia Gaul explains to Coriolanus that she will stop filming live for an hour as Coriolanus goes to retrieve Sejanus, fabricating the footage in such a way to the game viewers that they don't realise what has actually happened. Coriolanus successfully gets Sejanus out, although at the expense of killing a tribute during an act of self-defence. But the viewers never know any of this, revealing just how easy it is to twist the media narrative to avoid making the chief product- the games, look bad.
My second takeaway from Songbirds and Snakes is that the concept of evil is not so black and white. Don't get me wrong, pure evil does exist, but this film teaches you that many can be good, but some just choose not to be. Coriolanus might turn out to be a tyrannical monster, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he has always been a rotten soul. Indeed, Coriolanus does have the capacity to love and this is revealed through many instances in the film. He seems to have a deep love for his family, arguably seeking a scholarship to university as a means to secure a career that'll support his loved ones after some previously difficult years. Before he betrays Sejanus, he appears to genuinely care for their friendship. His relationship with Lucy Gray also demonstrates how he is capable of being virtuous. He risks his university scholarship, as well as his general relationship with the Capitol, by cheating in the games, all so that Lucy Gray has a shot at survival. He gifts her rat poison to help her in the games as a thank-you for saving his life after the arena is bombed, knowing she could've attempted an escape. Certainly, it appears he does not want her to suffer after getting to know her, caring enough for her that he also starts a relationship with her after his banishment to the districts for cheating.
Unfortunately for Coriolanus, he constantly faces an inner conflict between doing good and exacting revenge on those he deems as responsible for wronging him earlier in life. Much of Coriolanus' dismay towards the districts comes from their involvement in his father's death during the First Rebellion between the districts and the Capitol when he was a young boy. Forgiving them proves to be too hard for him and so he harvests a deep hatred to all the districts as a result, viewing the games as a fair punishment for their rebellion against the Capitol. This might explain why Coriolanus betrays Sejanus later. When Sejanus plans to help rebels escape towards the north, Coriolanus, via a jabber jay, reports it to the Capitol, having Sejanus then killed- something he never owns up to, not even to Sejanus' parents. On the one hand, yes, you could view it as Coriolanus trying to win back the Capitol's trust, on the other hand, you might consider it as an example of how deep his anger can be towards individuals who choose to side with those who killed people like Coriolanus' father. Ultimately, Coriolanus' resentment towards the districts is far from justified; if he wanted to leave it all in the past he could, but he doesn't want to. He ends up returning to the Capitol, taking up a trainee position as Hunger Games game maker, continuing to punish the districts for many years to come. This is quite the contrast to Katniss in the original Hunger Games, towards the end of her story. Upon winning the rebellion against the Capitol, Katniss rejects the proposal to reinstall the Hunger Games with the Capitol leaders' children fighting instead, choosing to kill the interim president who suggested it, thereby permanently ending it. Katniss could've had her revenge... but alas, she resisted the urge to have it through more acts of violence.
What are your thoughts on Songbirds and Snakes? Did you enjoy it? What does it tell you about the complexity of humanity? Be sure to check out the film if you haven't already!
Note: I do not own the rights to the photo used in this review.
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