British singer-songwriter Mika on
Tuesday released a short film for the title track of his much
anticipated third studio album The Origin of Love.
The 5-minute film was shot in Santiago,
Chile and directed by Cristian Jimenez. Jimenez's Bonsai
premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
“This latest short film is a
collaboration with the Chilean director Cristian Jimenez. After
seeing his film Bonsai, this seemed like an exciting match,”
said Mika in a press release. “I wanted to take the kaleidoscopic
dreaminess of the song and pair it up with Cristian's more realistic,
surreal and moving imagery. When making these films, I give complete
freedom to the director we are collaborating with, in a way that is
never possible with a music video. This short film was made in
Santiago with Cristian's close team and friends, and with a lot of
love. I hope that watching someone else's visual reaction to the
song is as surprising and moving for you as it was for me.”
In the film, a young woman escapes a
treatment facility to return to her boyfriend, but whether she has
physically left the center is ambiguous. (The video is embedded on
this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
“I was very excited when Mika got in
touch about this,” Jimenez said. “The song is fantastic, it
almost feels like you can touch it. I tried to do something that adds
more layers to that texture. It's an urban, very contemporary piece,
with a bit of humour and touches of a fairy tale feel. I hope Mika's
fans will connect and imagine a broader world beyond.”
The Origin of Love arrives
October 16.