Music Video Review: “Elastic Heart”

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Sahi Padmanabhan, Features Editor

For Sia fans, the wait is over.

“Elastic Heart,” a track released for the soundtrack of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” on Oct. 1, 2013, is now accompanied by a video. Released today, Jan. 7, the video already has over 1 million views, and the number is steeply rising for what many are predicting, though it’s early in the game, will be music video of the year for 2015.

Featuring Maddie Ziegler of Dance Moms fame and Shia LaBeouf,  the video is, at first, shocking. The opening shot of the video shows the two, seemingly naked, in a white-walled room enclosed within a giant bird cage. I’ll admit, I was taken aback, and almost stopped watching the video: thankfully, it was soon revealed that the pair were just wearing clothes that blended in almost seamlessly with their skin tones.

At first, the video felt sexual. I know that this probably stemmed from some deep-seated insecurity about seeing people even partially nude, despite my rational that nudity isn’t as bad as people think and years of being exposed to undressed idols through the media. I understand that dance costumes, especially for contemporary styles, tend to be a little more scant, allowing for more freedom of movement and less distraction from the clothing and more focus on the art itself. However, the fact of the matter is that I felt a little uncomfortable. In the end, all that counts when it comes to art is not how it was intended, but how it was perceived.

As the video continued, however, the story revealed itself. And I was amazed.

Throughout the majority of the video, an animalistic Ziegler and a desperate-looking LaBeouf are butting heads through angry, carefully choreographed dance steps and superb acting for a video that is only five minutes long. Ziegler, clad in a blonde wig that has come to be seen as Sia’s trademark, looks crazed, going so far as to bite LaBeouf at one point. It seems that they’ll never stop, until there’s a drastic tone shift.

Everything abruptly changes the moment Ziegler realizes that she could slip between the bars of the cage.

The story changes from one of two people at war to one of escape. Ziegler slips back into the cage a changed girl. The relationship dynamic shifts from rage and anger to something tender and quiet. They spend a moment to cherish the newfound feeling before Ziegler tries to lead LaBeouf out of the cage that ensnared them. Both of them struggle against the bars as the music hauntingly ceases in the background.

In the silence, LaBeouf comes to the crushing understanding that he’s trapped. Forever.

I can see why people are already trying to predict next year’s Grammy awards.