The fearless maknae of Brown Eyed Girls is back after almost a year and a half since the magical Bloom was released along with mini album Talk About S. Gain is known to start controversies and heated discussions whenever she comes back and this time is no different. Pre-release track Fxxk You dropped January 27th along with a brand new music video starring actor Joo Ji Hoon.
For anyone who hasn't seen the video yet, please be careful because it contains violent, sexual and bloody scenes (and all three at the same time too).
I didn't know at all what I was about to experience, because while I had seen the teasers and knew that Gain always goes a little beyond the usual, I was not quite ready for this.
In short terms, the music video is about a couple who no longer share a healthy and loving relationship, but who are destroying both themselves and each other.
I recommend watching with the lyrics on (thank you Loen!) because you will understand everything much clearer. The song itself is very low key and sensual and contrasts against the stronger theme of the video. It is very simple and toned down, with only some guitar and drums playing. Bumkey features on this song as well, and I think he has a nice voice and his parts contribute in giving us another viewpoint of this broken relationship, but I also think Gain could have done this just as well on her own.
The video begins with Gain and her male counterpart in what looks like a bathroom (the set is also very gloomy and creepy) and he is rubbing his face against her thighs as she passively looks away. They handle each other with firm grips and we see them fighting and pulling each other's clothes. It's clear at this point that she has had enough of him and his constant advances, but she is also reluctant to leave. She sings that "she's the only one who can control him" and that "they will be a destiny", so even though he forces himself on her she stays with him.
There are other scenes with the two, one that shows them sitting across a table looking at each other while a cake with burning candles stand between them, and another with Gain being held strongly in his arms, as if he's never letting her go. Gain on the other hand, looks lifeless, as if she has just given up.
Then comes the shower curtain scene, the one that was in the teaser. You also get to see glimpses of them behind the curtains that show some kind of love for each other that somehow still exists, as they smile and stroke each other's faces lovingly. As soon as Gain sings "This could never really end" a huge splash of blood covers the bathroom wall, and Joo Ji Hoon drenches himself in an unknown liquid. You later see them sitting tightly together, both completely soaked, holding a burning lighter. This implies that they are in fact covered in gasoline or any other easily ignitable liquid, and that he presumably threatens to kill them both if she leaves him.
It finally ends with Ji Hoon at the table, grabbing the burning candles on the cake and falling face down into it, as Gain watches from across.
There is just so much to be discussed about this video, and I love that it tells us a story rather than trying to sell the people in it, as usual Kpop videos do.
My personal interpretation of it is that they were once happy together, but then something went wrong. He started to see her as his own sexual toy, always wanting to touch her and kiss her and so on, and she wanted to leave because she felt that he was becoming violent not getting what he wanted. From that point, it seemed everything just escalated. She doesn't want to have this kind of relationship but can't seem to leave him and instead stays and is abused and thrown around as he wants. He also senses her passivity and goes on to do the extreme by threatening to kill them both if she dares to escape.
The blood in the bathroom felt a bit out of place, because we don't see any of them bleeding or seriously injured, but it could also be a symbol for how wrong this could get if they continue. The scene with the cake is also a bit confusing to me, but I think that the burning candles represent their relationship, and when he forcefully puts them out and collapses it's like he has killed it off, and therefore himself too.
In all honesty, this video is uncomfortable and disturbing to watch. The scary thing is that these relationships exist, and people are experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault every day. I really appreciate that it's so brutal and straight forward, and less of the glorified version that was Troublemaker's Now. People may think it's too much, but I think it's an important subject to bring up and talk about.
Whatever Gain does, she always sparks some sort of conversation, whether it would be about women's sexuality or domestic abuse. I know she doesn't write her own material or direct her own videos, but I admire her for taking a stand and representing these kind of topics.
The video is well made and well acted out on all fronts, the styling, sets and cinematography fits the eerie vibe of the song. It's raw and it's provocative, but that's what makes it so captivating.
Total Score: 4,75/5
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