Have you ever thought about what despair would look like in human form? Or about it taking the form of a silver-suited old lady? If not, chances are you’ll start to associate the two after watching this video.
Giving despair a recognizable face is what drove director Adriana Ramirez and Las Robertas to make a video for their fuzzy, heavy ballad. The song is one of the most distinctive tracks on the Costa Rican band’s 2014 album Days Unmade, featuring airy backup vocals and an oppressive ambiance that feels just right. In the clip, an offscreen driver leads the aforementioned lady down a winding road. The car cruises with the top down in an almost unbroken take. Towards the end, there are multiple shots of four masked figures about to collide, cutting right before we see their bodies actually slam into each other. The long shots and camera perspective give the feeling that the viewer could be another character in the video. Is the viewer supposed to take the role of the driver or the camera perspective, looking at the old woman from the passenger seat? Is the viewer in the clip at all? It invites several viewings and gets existential in the process.
If you’re in Los Angeles this weekend, don’t miss Las Robertas at Viva! Pomona Festival on Sunday, July 19th at The Glass House!