I've seen music videos that are amazing, I've seen music videos that are confusing. I've seen music videos that are just terribly done and do not match the song in question at all. But I think this is the first time a music video has actually upset me.
Music videos are a very interesting medium, and my favorites are the ones that tell a story. Because the ability to convey a coherent plot line in a typically three to five minute time span with very little, if any, dialogue is a challenge that the most well done videos rise to. It takes a delicate blend of the right actors, the right atmosphere and the right imagery to compliment and enhance a song. 'I'm not a fan of those music videos where there is a huge tonal difference between what's on the screen and what's coming out of the speakers. I really liked "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry when it came out because it was a bit dark sounding, a little more adult than what I normally heard from her on the radio. Then the music video came out, and it was all bright colors and kind of ridiculous. It would have been better served by something a little more serious, a little more adult. But I digress.
The music video for "Take me to Church" by Hozier is an example of a music video done right. It's definitely in my Top 20 list for music videos, in addition to being on my shitlist for making me cry.
The video came at me from two angles - emotionally and intellectually - and it hit hard.
Let me address the emotional aspect first. The video centers around a gay couple and the anger they face from their community because of their relationship. The video alternates between intimate moments establishing the couple's relationship and ones of the men trying and failing to hide a locked box from an angry gang. They find him and and the box, and the next scene has them dragging him to a bonfire and throwing the box in the flames. Meanwhile, his boyfriend comes home and finds their home ransacked and him missing, then runs throughout the neighborhood, trying to find him.
The video ends with the runner finding the gang kicking his boyfriend on the ground next to the bonfire.
Here's where I start over-thinking everything and this video becomes an intellectual challenge for me. I came away with two major questions - what was in the box and what happened next? There's a difference between having a little bit of mystery, which is common with music videos because of how short they are, and leaving the viewer feeling like they're watching an unfinished product. And that's that I felt like when this ended. I even looked up different uploads of the same video on YouTube because I thought maybe the last half-minute was cut off. I did Google searches to find the answers. There were none.
I could handle not knowing what was in the box. Actually, that's a mystery I can support because it allows the viewer to use their imagination and make it something important to them. But leaving me hanging on whether the man who got kidnapped is alive or dead? Leaving me not knowing whether his boyfriend tried to save him or ran away before the gang saw him? Not cool. This video got me invested in their relationship and then cuts out at a pivotal moment, and that's a failure in story telling.
All I can hope for is a sequel video in the future to answer my questions. And I'm really hoping there's a happy ending. Because if I end up crying again. I give up on Hozier and his music.
Watch the video for yourself - www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw.
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