Made Fun!

I’ve been preoccupied with Rihanna’s video for “We Found Love,”  directed by Melina Matsoukas, since its release last week. Two reasons:

1) “We Found Love” has gotten comparisons to “Trainspotting,” “Requiem for a Dream,” Cee-Lo’s video for “No One’s Gonna Love You,” some Gregg Araki movies, and even a more sinister version of those heavy-handed Levi’s All-American commercials full of youthful ladies and gents running around in cornfields. But all of these examples feature white people. Most of the comparisons I’ve seen made so far feature white teens and twenty-somethings living their beautifully tragic lives, exploring what it might mean to get wrapped up in drugs, the idea of love, dependence on either, and then trying to find a way out. This happens even when the media is created by mixed filmmakers or plays during covers sung by people of color. Rihanna’s video focuses entirely on two people of color, including non-white faces in a story bloggers have already reminded us ad nauseam that we’ve seen before in other forms.

That is, writers point that out, and then commenters point out that the lead male in the video, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, looks like bleach-haired Chris Brown, which may or may not be intentional, but does lead me to —

2) Rihanna’s said a few times that she’s not interested in or equipped for being a formal spokesman for domestic abuse, but she does want to give people who’ve had similar experiences a voice. I see “We Found Love” as the latest instance where she’s weaved that kind of complicated story into her mainstream image, from her involvement in “Love the Way You Lie” to the video for “Man Down” and most recently these new visuals. And while advocacy is hugely important, Rihanna’s creative efforts with directors like Melina Matsoukas remind me not to discount the impact simply including different people and experiences in stories can have. It gets people talking, and encouraging survivors and communities to talk is typically one of the biggest goals for anyone trying to help marginalized groups.

But what makes all of that most effective is that it’s presented in a video that feels worth watching. The relationship is believable, the juxtaposition of happy song with a darker reality is striking, and that’s what makes it all work.

So I’ve watched “We Found Love” multiple times. I keep thinking about it and wanting to talk about it. That’s probably a good thing.

Shia LaBeouf Directs Video for Kid Cudi’s ‘Marijuana’

After Shia LaBeouf directed Cage’s music video for “I Never Knew You” in 2009, it’s not too surprising that he’s trying his hand at more. It’s not even that surprising that he ended up running around with Kid Cudi since Cage does appear on Cudi’s latest album, Man in the Moon II.

In 2010, it was rumored that the music video for the song — “Maniac” — might be directed by LaBeouf. Because that was back in November, I forgot about it. A few months feels more like an entire era when it comes to online buzz, but it looks like the trio are still spending time together, smoking weed more than creating anything, but let’s take it one step at a time.

The video for “Marijuana” looks like a Flipcam diary more than anything. It’s the kind of lazy, intimate vibe that words best for a song about a favorite, lazy recreational drug. There’s nothing hugely engaging about it except for the small sense of voyeurism, but I’m still curious to see how a dark video for “Maniac” may get realized.

[via thedailywhat]