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Rina Sawayama 'Bad Friend' by Ali Kurr

Rob Ulitski - 1st June 2020

Rina Sawayama and Ali Kurr's previous videos, for STFU! and XS have shown an artist capable of taking on vibrant, madcap personas. The video for Bad Friend is another case entirely, and just as intriguing: Rina becomes a character in an old Japanese movie - a young male salaryman, who's heart has just been broken.

Taking their seat in a dive bar, Sawayama's character stares at a wedding ring in a mist of cigarette smoke. It's been a bad day, and it's time to drink away all the emotions. Then they are suddenly interrupted by another older customer, who insists the sad salaryman accept his offer to drink whisky with him.

Then things take their course, as they do in bars. Misery turns to drunken jollity - but then things turn surprisingly nasty. Things degenerate into a believably messy bar brawl, to the horror of the few other inhabitants of the bar. But that's not quite the end of the story...

From the intriguing setting - and DoP Amelia Hazlerigg gives this a real film noir flair that elevates the dramatic mood from the start - it is a wonderfully well-constructed and performed narrative that makes this arguably Sawayama and Kurr's most satisfying collaboration yet.

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Rob Ulitski - 1st June 2020

Tags

  • Narrative
  • Pick of the Day
  • Pop
  • Contemporary R&B
  • Film Noir
  • Black & White

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Credits

Production/Creative

Director
Ali Kurr
Producer
Mayling Wong
Production Company
Executive Producer
Mayling Wong
Production Manager
Joe Browne
1st AD
Jack Meredith

Camera

Director of Photography
Amelia Hazlerigg
Focus Puller
Richard Savage
2nd AC
Lea Aubigne

Lighting/Grip

Gaffer
Sal Gomez-lopez

Art

Art Director
Liz El Kadhi

Wardrobe

Wardrobe
Celia Arias
Hair
Jake Gallagher
Make-up
Natasha Lawes

Casting

Lead actor
Leon Sua

Editorial

Editor
Matt Nee
Editing company
Metal

Grading

Colourist
Jonny Thorpe
Colour grade company
Glassworks

Agent

Director's Representation

Commission

Label
Dirty Hit

Other credits

Stunt Coordinator

Jude Poyer

Rob Ulitski - 1st June 2020

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