For the life of me, I'll never know exactly what was the message delivered in this music video. Ashcroft and the director must have used imagery from plenty of other artistic medias like literature, cinema or even music but it's probably from obscure sources or things that I might know but wasn't able to connect with this project - and I've seen this clip several times over the years ever since its release and nothing substantial came to mind. But like many artistic projects, the fact of not fully understanding doesn't equal contempt, disrespect or critical feelings; the contrary, I've always loved everything about it, most specially the song which is quite clear about its ideas - even though it's a reduced version of it, since the extended version goes over eight minutes and it's a magnificent work. Ashcroft nailed it again, as always.
Describing the images aren't sufficient to make anyone interested or curious and it's not fair enough to the amount of work put into the short. Ashcroft walks through a crowd but unlike "Bittersweet Symphony" he isn't as confident or bumps into walkers; here's a black-and-white world where there are mysterious passionate couples making out; people looking in suspicious ways to him from some window or on the street; a naked angel-like creature that seems to be born dead - of whom Richard spreads her wings and reveals her naked, skinny body; culminating with a group of people trying to push a building down. Strange variations of the human condition finding a way to break out from their little worlds, finding hope or rejecting everything that's wrong about the world they live. Just a minor idea of mine but I always feel that there's something more going on while lyrics explain about a possible crisis of faith in all senses, both human and spiritual. Ashcroft goes deep in those terms, quite easy to get. Maybe that's the goal of the clip in just making ourselves in "checking its meaning". The title says it all.
As for cinematic and artistic views, this clip is definitely one of my favorite. Creative, innovative, intriguing and strangely exciting. A good addiction to the senses since it always keeps me coming back to see something I might have missed on previous views and I'm always fascinated by its enigma. Never fails and always allows the viewer a unique and different perspective, a debate about it could go on forever. How many clips can offer such a treat to its viewers? It beats plenty of films with such quality art. 9/10.
