In Allie Avital's third video for Moses Sumney, the R&B artist wanders a desolate landscape and seashore, where he discovers a mythical creature between the rocks - a mermaid. Sumney collects the vulnerable creature - played by Sasha Lane, from American Honey - in his arms, and the connection between the two becomes physical and fluidly emotional from that moment, as the apparently helpless creature reveals her true nature. After two previous, very sensual videos for Sumney, for Worth It and Doomed, Avital has now created something more ambitious, extending the sensuality into eroticism, then crossing over into something much darker. “It’s a story about our inevitable desire for love and closeness and conversely, our instincts to destroy those that offer us those comforts,” comment Sumney and Avital. The result is a very powerful work - with excellent cinematography from Ryan Hope.
David Knight - 2nd Oct 2017