M.I.A. Premieres Very NSFW "Born Free" Video
Clocking in at nine minutes and full of suspenseful pseudo-narrative, this video for M.I.A.'s new single "Born Free" feels more like a short film than a music video. I wouldn't think twice if someone tried to pass this off as an experimental narrative short.
Directed by Romain Gavras, this NSFW video is pretty violent and disturbing. Which, in all fairness, shouldn't be that surprising coming from an artist with well-documented family ties to the Tamil Tigers. But despite the content, it never feels gratuitous. There's a statement here. It may not be a particularly deep one, but at the very least the nastiness feels in service of something greater.
This isn't the neon glitz we've come to expect from a lot of the art associated with M.I.A.'s records. This is a dark, grimy new aesthetic and it's an interesting direction to see her take.
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