I have to say I am loving the whole lucky dip idea for movie nights, it really takes the pressure off of having to pick a film and you have the added benefit of not knowing what to expect. The latest film to be drawn was the 2020 Amazon exclusive film, Songbird.

In the not too distant future, the Covid pandemic has evolved to such an extent that the country is put under martial law and the only people allowed outside are those immune to the disease, identified by coded yellow wristbands. Although with enough cash, one of those little yellow wristbands could be yours – immune or no.

Mandatory temperature checks are carried out every day and if the virus is detected, armed guards and men in full haz-mat suits come to take you and your family to the quarantine or ‘Q’ zone. A concept that is made even more terrifying by just how little we are told about these glorified prison camps.

Despite being able to roam the streets, bicycle courier Nico lives in isolation, physically shut out from the rest of the world, only able to make connections from the other side of a screen or window. His aim is to save up enough money to buy a wristband for his girlfriend Sara so that they can finally be in the same room as each other.

Post-apocalyptic movies are not exactly new, and some are more successful than others, but there was something rather unsettling and more than a little distasteful about releasing a film about the Covid pandemic whilst we are still in the midst of national lockdown.

In its haste to be one of the first films to capitalise on the pandemic Songbird has sacrificed some of its production value and there are times where the writing falls flat and the overall experience feels rushed and under developed. That being said, the story itself is not completely terrible and it had the bones to actually be quite an enjoyable film.

Despite the low budget aesthetic of the film, there is a surprising number of well known names cast including Peter Stormare, Craig Robinson and Demi Moore. Unfortunately though, with a less than ninety minute runtime, there wasn’t enough time to really flesh out the characters despite there being plenty of potential.

This under development means that we don’t really connect with any of the characters and the shady affair sub plot is nothing more than a distraction from the film’s main focus, which is a rather stereotypical love-conquers-all romance story resulting in a rather predictable ending.

I think it is fair to say that Songbird is not going to be breaking down any barriers or winning any awards but it is entertaining enough to pass the time one cold winter evening, so add it to your watchlist and let me know what you think.

Songbird is available to stream on Amazon Prime.