
Yung Lean is a charismatic school bully at a dystopian boarding school devoid of teachers in Romain Gavras's gripping return to the field of music video for French DJ Gener8ion.Part-Lord Of the Flies, part-Lindsay Anderson's If, with a climax that's a testosterone-fuelled version of Tom Emmerson's video for Bakar's Lonyo!, it's also unmistakeably Gavras-eque: a world where simply the experience of watching makes the viewer's pulse race a bit faster.At over seven minutes, featuring the merging of two tracks - Storm I and Storm II - it's a tense experience watching the fearsome character played by Lean applying his control over his quaking peers - a large cast of outstanding young actors who also turn out to be outstanding dancers - to Gener8ion's thumping techno. It's a white-knuckle ride that echoes the unsparing depiction of violence in work from Gavras's prolific period directing videos - like the stress-inducing Stress for Justice and the harrowing Born Free for M.I.A. But ultimately there is a notable switch here, an explosive release from violence. We are suddenly immersed in a remarkable, kinetic dance piece featuring the whole cast, captured in a single shot - brilliantly choreographed by Damian Jalet. It's jawdropping,As for Gavras, is he still the biggest badass in music videos? Oh yes, he is.
David Knight - 3 hours ago
