MIA’s NEW VIDEO: A STUDY IN CULTURAL AWARENESS

There’s no doubt in my mind that Romain Gavras, the director of MIA’s video for Bad Girls, saw the above Youtube clip three months ago when it gained some prominence on the internet. Even without the colorful subject matter, he’s worth noticing, as his last video for MIA (the much blogged about ginger genocide) was just as provocative, and equally impressive in it’s scope.

Even though I haven’t watched his debut feature, the trailer was interesting enough that I was forced to pay attention to him. The film may ultimately end up being a disappointment,  but the fact that he was able to capture my utmost attention for 2 minutes makes sense when compared to his work in music videos.

I guess the reason I started this post was to acknowledge the fact that his most recent work has the keen sense to reappropriate the current, not dissimilar from Diplo’s recreation of the Jian Sword Dance for his last single.

But I still think his video for Justice’s Stress is better.