A young soldier gives into his bloodthirsty temptations in this hyperviolent video for Russian artist Shortparis.Opening in a vast, clinical space, a group of soldiers are stood in combat formation, overlooked by a handful of stern-faced higher-ups. Initially nervous and isolated from the pack, a young soldier flies into a fit of rage, battering his colleagues and strangling a woman in a hallway. The violence soon ramps up into street fights with bricks and death by hara-kiri. Co-directed by Vlad Fishez and Shortparis himself, this is grisly stuff with its own unhinged momentum, driven by the memorable performance of the lead actor. Highlighting society's role in creating killers, the escalating violence is a sobering depiction of the destructive power we are all capable of wielding.
Rob Ulitski - 13th Mar 2020