ANOHNI has shared the visuals for “CRISIS,” yet another emotionally charged music video from her 2016 Mercury Prize nominated album HOPELESSNESS. Starring Storm Lever shot in a single take, fixed before a solid black backdrop and focusing solely on Lever’s face from her bare shoulders up.
Much like a scene plucked from a Steve McQueen-directed film, the stagnation forces the viewer to focus on what is happening before them. Lever maintains her gaze straight into the eye of the camera, never leaving her post. Since the eyes crave constant movement and are used to seeing rapid cuts to new angles throughout videos, the static nature of “CRISIS” begins to verge on discomfort. With the opening lyrics being “Crisis/If I killed your father with a drone bomb/How would you feel?” it’s clear the video demands your reflection and for your discomfort to grow with Lever as she begins to well up with tears.
ANOHNI addressed the American occupation in the Middle East in her official press statement for the video:
“De-escalation cannot occur until we truly account for what the United States has done. I wanted to model what that might look like on a personal level as an American citizen. There is an unspoken sense that the atrocities our country has committed in the Middle East are too grave to really acknowledge or account for. And yet for peace to really take hold, there is no other road forward.”
Let ANOHNI’s words sink in, and then dive into “CRISIS” above.