Europop + Jake Gyllenhaal = CRAZED KILLER?

It's true. Jake Gyllenhaal is on a murderous rampage. And it's enormously satisfying to watch.

Without any dialogue at all, director Daniel Wolfe (who, as far as I know, has mostly done music videos) turns Jake Gyllenhaal from clean-cut Hollywood ladies man into a disheveled and brooding killing MACHINE that apparently has a love of fencing, and bloodspatter.

DISCLAIMER: This video is brutal. If you can't stomach violence, club music, or Jake Gyllenhaal channeling his inner demon, then I suggest you don't watch this video.

It may be eight minutes long, but it's well constructed - some of the best cinematography I've seen. It starts off blurry and sloppy; dark and unspecific but then becomes clear, bright, and a beautiful (if not unsettling) play of lights, and shadows. It's pretty much the opposite of typical music videos, which expend millions of dollars to get our attention and be flashy. This time, millions of dollars were spent on something that actually feel more like a short film than a music video.

There's a lot you can take away from the character of the killer, thanks to the juxtaposition of shots. To me, it's a story about a guy who just cannot function in social situations - or in life, really. He appears to take out this frustration at always being on the sidelines, or not being confident enough to be the center of attention by BRUTALLY SLAYING those he sees who do have that luxury.

^ On that note, I showed this to my Screenwriting class, and some of them took another angle. To them, it's a story about a guy who just goes through the motions of life (shopping, getting a shave, working out) who hates it, and kills people to get a rush, and to feel normal.

Another interesting thing about the video is how, sometimes, the actual background audio feels diegetic - which means it's in the scene, like the sound of scuffing feet or breathing, rather than something put over top of it later, that doesn't affect the story world. The song feels like it's something that would play in a party, or at a club.

Also, upon my third or fourth re-watch, I'm aware of how subtle the edit is to the music. It fits like a glove, but, again, you don't necessarily feel like you're watching a music video. It follows the pitch, ebb, and flow of the song in ways more subtle than you might think.

If anyone's seen the movie Drive, this reminds me a lot of it in the way that it shows us the character, rather than telling us who he is. That, and the sudden brutal violence. Probably the latter one.

Okay. If you're still reading this, then I've just got some questions for you guys.

1. Why (in your opinion) does the killer do what he does?
2. What is the importance of the shaving scene? The filmmaker is practically screaming LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME
3. At the end, do you think a change of heart is in store for the killer, or just something more twisted?

The song in the introduction is "America" which is also by the Shoes. I've bought both of them, and I listen to them a lot. I figured it would be a crime for me not to share this beautiful little gem with you.

Happy watching!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/Qc7wdmv073Y/viewtopic.php

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