the new hunger games prequel is genius and here's why 🐍 ballad of songbirds and snakes review

I love how unreliable Snow's narration is, in that everything is from his perspective so we have no idea what Lucy Gray's motivations and feelings truly were because it is all filtered through Snow's own desires.

I found it so telling that, in the book, Snow thinks Reaper has gone insane because he lays the bodies next to each other and covers them up. I would think any halfway compassionate person would immediately understand why Reaper is doing what he's doing and that he is far from insane lol

What I love is they set up Reaper to be this killer, this wild animal and brute and yet when he is “unleashed” in the arena he displays a kindness, empathy, and gentleness that Snow could never even hope to have.

Reaper's honoring of the dead in the arena is, to me, the best example of what humanity really is like. Even in the worst situations, people can be kind

What’s so funny is that Dr. Gaul theory on humanity is disproved so many times but she and snow refused to see it. Even when they are forced into these barbaric games, there is still characters who choose to do good. Reaper for example, arranging the bodies and placing the flag on top- pretty much defeats Gaul’s entire theory that we are inherently monsters. Katniss singing Rue the meadow song, another moment of humanity triumphing in the most dire circumstances. Tigress as well, maintaining her sweetness and gentleness even when she had to do everything to survive during the dark days. As a scientist, Dr. Gaul is looking for specific evidence that only fit her theory, rather than seeing what the evidence actually point to- which is ironically the biggest folly in the science community

I wish the movie could’ve included Ma Plinth. She was also a huge example of human kindness to Snow and he completely just takes advantage of her kindness and almost looks at her as stupid for it. He basically kills her son and then takes his place in his family, having them believe he was their son’s only true friend like… if that’s not evil I don’t know what is!

I don’t think Lucy has any more connection to Panem anymore. I think she got away. She and whatever family she made are free while Snow remains haunted by the one thing he couldn’t control.

Ugh. I just love Sejanus. Not enough people talk about how truly awful his story ends.....he literally never learns what Snow did to him or that Snow never actually saw them as friends. Ever. It's more clear in the book. After Sejanus's parents die....he will be completely forgotten. Just like Lucy and the other tributes of the 10th Games. Even when Snow dies 60years later, no one will remember Sejanus and how he only wanted to help. I'm sick. He really was an angel.

Love love how clearly it shows the projection of his motives he lays on Lucy. Like he assumes she betrayed him because if he was Lucy he would betray him. Its soooo clearly and well portrayed.

I think this analysis just further proves how great of a character Katniss is because she is sort of the anti-Snow not just because she's rebel but her mindset. Katniss also went through trauma at a young age that made her distrust the world and often misinterpreted the kindness of others. Throughout the book she struggles between self-preservation and doing the right thing. But through her actions we see that deep down she is a compassionate person. I know Katniss is kind of the ghost of Lucy Gray, but I also have fun comparing a protagonist to the antagonist.

I'm just starting to watch, but I really believe the theory Snow didn"t kill Lucy. He is going delusional. Lucy is able to escape him.

I think a lot hof the nature vs nurture debate is shown through Tigris, who saw the same things Coriolanus did, lived through the war in the same way and also did things she’s not proud of to have her family survive. She keeps being genuinely kind, but her cousin gets more and more twisted as time goes on. Her kindness is the only one Snow doesn’t twist to self-serving actions in his mind, but he’s so used to it he can’t see it as the lovely bit of humanity that it is. She’s also a big sounding board for him, and when he loses that he flies off the rails much more quickly.

I believe Lucy didn't die. I interpreted the book's title in a way, that it is Snow who is the snake. And we learned times and times again that snakes can't hurt Lucy, they won't kill her. So I actually do believe she survived the shooting. In the film we see her running in the woods, but in the books we never find out if the noises Snow heard were Lucy or if it was all just his delusion. So maybe he didn't even point the gun at her? Maybe she hid herself somewhere, just as she did on the arena?

I think another beautiful element to this story is how much Lucy Gray’s disappearance further influences Snow. He shoots at her in the woods, and finds an earring and footprints. but the silhouette he shoots at, is Lucy Gray in her reaping day dress. He’s paranoid, that he saw what he wanted to. and the not knowing if she survived or not, further drives his paranoia. We see in the original trilogy district twelve is fenced in. the woods are separated from the district by electrical fences - to possibly prevent Lucy Gray from returning, and also to prevent someone escaping Snow like she did. His paranoia is also evidenced by how strongly he despises Katniss, a girl from 12 who shares similarities with Lucy Gray. Katniss did not make any effort to start a rebellion. however, Snow’s deep mistrust and his efforts to squash any hope Katniss had, only further encouraged the rebellion that ended up being his undoing. Suzanne Collin’s is a genius.

I love the edit of Lucy bowing and Katniss bowing in the same way to Snow. It really drives in the point of Katniss being the "ghost" (of Lucy) come back to haunt him.

I feel that Snow chose to ignore all of the kindness and focus on human cruelry because his fear was stronger than his hope for a better future

Not to be too cliché but I think what sums up Snow's refusal to acknowledge kindness as ""humanity at its true nature" is the fact that snow can only thrive in cold environment... thus love, compassion and care are only seen as obstacles to the cold, harsh "truth" he believes in.

He definitely did not kill her he shot at her and found her earring but she got away and the whole thing is that it’s a mystery what happened to her. Earlier snow asks what happens to Lucy gray in the song and Lucy gray says that it’s a mystery

Not sure if you mentioned the fact that Snow's father is the one who started the Hunger Games idea... Thats a pretty big deal. Following in your father's legacy is considered a high moral virtue which can nullify many relationships, events, or even institutions.

Dr. Gaul’s views frustrate me so much. How can you call what happens in the arena the reality of humanity stripped bare??? They wouldn’t be killing each other if they hadn’t been imprisoned in an arena and told they will only be allowed out/allowed to live if they are the last one standing. Their violence is forced upon them. I can’t comprehend how she can actually believe she is showing an example of the state of human nature