The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in theaters on November 17. The movie is a prequel for the Hunger Games trilogy. It follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow before he goes on to become the powerful, vicious president that is present in the trilogy. The story shows Coriolanus as he is named the mentor of Lucy Gray Baird in the 10th annual Hunger Games.
Coriolanus and his family are struggling with money, so he hopes if Lucy Gray wins the games that he will win the Plinth Prize. He hopes this prize will pay his tuition for college and help secure his family’s place in the Capital.
Lucy Gray is the female tribute from District 12. She immediately grabs everyone’s attention when she drops a snake down the dress of the mayor’s daughter at the reaping ceremony. After this, she begins singing a song while wearing her iconic rainbow dress, which makes her the talk of the Capital. The lyrics “nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping” introduces both mystery and sympathy into the hearts of the reader as well as the people in the actual movie.
When the tributes arrive at the Capital, Coriolanus is the only mentor who shows up to meet the tributes. He does this with the hopes of gaining Lucy Gray’s trust so he can persuade her to sing again and become more popular with the people of the Capital, which will help encourage people to watch the Games and get more involved ensuring the future of the Games.
Coriolanus and Lucy Gray create a close relationship as the Hunger Games are quickly approaching. The night before the games Coriolanus visits Lucy Gray and gives her his mother’s silver compact. He had removed the powder from the compact and replaced it with rat poison that Lucy Gray could use in the games. During this same time, Coriolanus wipes one of Lucy Gray’s tears with his handkerchief (This may sound insignificant now, BUT it will make sense later). The reason this is so impactful is because Coriolanus is aware that cheating in the Games will result in punishment, so he is risking his FUTURE to save her.
The Hunger Games begin, and Lucy Gray spends most of her time hiding. When there are only a few tributes left, the head game maker decides to drop a large container of poisonous snakes into the arena. Coriolanus hears this and decides to drop the handkerchief in the container because he knows they won’t bite anyone whose scent they know.
Lucy Gray is the only tribute not killed by the snakes, so she becomes the victor. Before Coriolanus and Lucy Gray are able to reunite, the compact and handkerchief are found, and it is revealed Coriolanus has cheated. Coriolanus is forced to enroll as a Peacekeeper and is sent to District 12 to serve with his friend and fellow mentor Sejanus. He and Lucy Gray meet again when he finds her performing with her “family.”
Their relationship continues to progress in private, while Coriolanus becomes suspicious of Sejanus. One night Coriolanus follows Sejanus out during one of Lucy Gray’s performances. Coriolanus finds Sejanus conspiring with three rebels who are planning to run away. In the heat of the moment, Coriolanus kills one of them who is the mayor’s daughter. He orders one of the other guys to dispose of the gun that he used to kill her.
After that night, Lucy Gray tells Coriolanus she wants to run away because everyone thinks she is the one who killed the mayor’s daughter due to their previous problems. Coriolanus agrees, and they leave. While the two are walking through the woods, they are discussing the people they’ve had to kill, and Coriolanus accidently lets it slip that he has killed three people. Since Lucy Gray only knows of two people, she clearly becomes suspicious.
The two arrive at a cabin in the woods where Coriolanus finds the gun that was used to kill the mayor’s daughter. This feeds into his already growing paranoia. Lucy Gray leaves looking for the plant katniss. Coriolanus goes looking for Lucy Gray and cannot find her. While searching through the woods, he spots the shawl he gave her on the ground. When he picks it up, a poisonous snake jumps out and bites his arm. Coriolanus begins spiraling while yelling out Lucy Gray’s name. He then begins shooting at the mockingjays that are singing Lucy Gray’s song “Hanging Tree”. The last time Lucy Gray is seen is when it appears she is hit by a gunshot, but when Coriolanus walked over to her, she was gone.
Coriolanus ultimately leaves the woods, drops the gun in the lake, and returns to the Capital. Lucy Gray’s ending is a complete mystery, however, I chose to believe she is finally free and living her best life. In the book, it is revealed the memory of Lucy Gray and the 10th Hunger Games is virtually erased.
After Coriolanus returns to the Capital his future there is ensured and the audience gets to see the start of his pivotal change and the beginning of his “choice poison” to kill his enemies. The last thing that is shown is a close up of his eyes looking at the Capital’s statue.
The movie ends with an eerie voiceover from Donald Sutherland who plays President Snow in the original Hunger Games movies. He says, “It’s the things we love most that destroy us,” which is from Mockingjay Part I.
