ttalksshit

[ttalksshit]

PUMA MV (Tomorrow by Together)

Music Video

Brief Background Tomorrow by Together are a Kpop boy group under HYBE. Their song PUMA (English title) or 동물원을 빠져나온 퓨마 (Korean title) was released as part of their second EP "The Dream Chapter: Eternity". The EP was released on May 18th 2020 and the music video was released later on June 4th 2020.

Personal Thoughts I have been a fan of TXT since their debut in 2019, so I may be biased when I say this is one of my favourite music videos to ever exist. I think the dark themed styling, set, and lighting were all perfect for the tone of the song. As far as I'm aware, PUMA is based on the real story of a puma that escaped a zoo in South Korea back in 2018. The puma, named Bbo-rang, was shot to death after being free from her enclosure for four hours. Her first day of freedom was simultaneously her last. I found this to be a very morbid metaphor for how idols are allowed very limited freedom in their careers whilst being exhibits for the public to consume.

Very early into the music video, we see reference to these concepts in a closeup shot of Yeonjun's chained wrists as he lies seemingly face down on a rock. This is the first and only shot we see of an entrapped Yeonjun. After this shot, he seems to be the only free member throughout the video for reasons I am unsure of.

Throughout the music video, we are introduced to shots of the other members also chained, or enclosed.

Here we see a long shot of Soobin locked in a literal cage as he poses like a cat, looking directly into the camera.

Another longshot. This time of Beomgyu confined to a cicrcle by arrows that seem to barely miss him and a ring of fire.

A longshot of Taehyun, chained at the ankles and wrists to a wall behind him.

And a shot of Hueningkai, encased in glass with obvious bullet damage.

In images such as the long shots of Beomgyu and Taehyun, it is evident how they may represent the lack of freedom that idols have as they are literally confined to a small space. Both give the illusion of having room to wander about, but the chains on Taehyun clearly don't allow it, and the arrows surrounding Beomgyu indicate that even a step out of line would warrant being shot at. Much like how a singular mishap or misunderstanding can become a scandal, resulting in severe backlash.

We see here in a later shot of Beomgyu that he is curled up as if he is cowering. As a celebrity, he has influence and power over the people like how a puma is strong and powerful over prey animals. And yet, the puma cowers because he understands that the people have influence over him too. As strong and powerful as he may be, the surrounding of arrows remind him that anything can end him.

In shots such as of Soobin and Hueningkai, we see that there is no attempt to give them "room" to wander. Instead they are displayed for public consumption. I find the shot of Hueningkai particularly interesting as there is blatant external damage to the glass. I interpret the meaning of this to be similar to the imagery of Beomgyu being surrounded by arrows. They are warnings not to step out of line. This is further backed up by a shot that follows.

I believe that this scene depicts what happened before the glass was damaged. The glass in this shot is somehow totally pristine, but there are many lasers aimed directly at Hueningkai. The point is that as an idol, everything about him is public. He is on display for everyone to admire, but also to scrutinise. He sits, doing nothing while people watch him, waiting for him to fuck up.

These shots all establish them as individuals. They are their own people with their own influence, and they each have individual reputations to maintain.

However, they are also a collective. Here they are depicted laying on each other. They rely on each other to maintain themselves as they are, after all, a group and are marketed as such. Because of this, if one member were to step out of line, they would jeopardise the entire group. If one member were to move out of this pile, their collective weights would shift leaving some unsupported.

Nearing the end of the video, we see that Hueningkai is replaced in the glass box by an animal skeleton.

I can't help but be reminded of how paparazzi will ensure that everything about a celebrity is documented for public viewing, even the celebrities absolute lowest points. Hueningkai is no longer in the box because he's no longer valued for who he is as a person, he exists purely as entertainment seen as not human.

Though that shot may be interpreted that way, it is also literally the first time that Hueningkai isn't in the box. This could imply he simply escaped, which isn't a wild assumption as some of the scenes to follow again depict the other members in their confinements. The only difference is that this time, their demeanors have changed. Soobin is sat up rather than crouching like a cat, Beomgyu is standing upright, and Taehyun literally breaks his restraints. The final scene shows them atop a rock/cliff with Yeonjun, all five of them free. But at what cost?.

[ttalksshit]

Jennifer's Body (2009)

IMDb

As you may have guessed by my profile pic, I really like this movie.

♡Brief rundown♡

Following main characters, best friends Anita "Needy" Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer Check (Megan Fox), Jennifer's Body takes place in a small Minnesota town named Devil's Kettle. On one fateful night, Jennifer takes Needy to their towns local bar to watch a "salty" rock band from the city. This rock band, named Low Shoulder, is unfortunately a bunch of fucking assholes, drugging Jennifer under the impression she is a virgin and "accidentally" causing a fire in the bar. Taking advantage of the chaos caused, the band takes Jennifer away in their WhiteVan™️ down to the waterfall for which their town is named. It is there that she is sacrificed by the band to Satan in exchange for fame, however something in the ritual goes very wrong. Jennifer is in fact not a virgin. This vital factor is what sets the course of the rest of the movie. As a demon possesses her body, Jennifer must feed on human flesh to sustain herself, hunting primarily men including Needy's boyfriend Chip Dove (Johnny Simmons).

♡Personal thoughts♡

I love this movie so much (even if I'm not happy about emo boys fate). The first time I watched it was with my best friends on here.fm (great site, 10/10 recommend) during my citys COVID-19 lock-down. For this reason alone, it holds much value to me as it was a source of closeness between myself and my friends during a time when physical closeness was dangerous. But beyond that, I love it for how camp it is. It is genuinely such an entertaining and unrealistic movie that can be appreciated for that aspect alone. It is also only 1hr 42mins long, which I find to be a good runtime for movies as it provides enough time to tell an eventful story without losing the attention of the audience. However, beyond all these aspects, I found it provided great commentary too.

SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

BRIEF NSFW AHEAD !!!

I personally interpret Jennifer's Body to be a criticism on heteronormativity and how it manifests in young sapphics as comp-het (compulsory heterosexuality). This is barely an original or hot take. Right off the bat, Jennifer being a demon could be allusion to the church which most people use to justify their homophobia, preaching how it's "sinful". The tension between Jennifer and Needy is also quite undeniable. We first see this as part of the opening montage depicting Needy focusing very intently on Jennifer performing a cheer routine. It is in this scene that voice-over Needy introduces the two of them as BestFriends™️, whilst the visuals suggest otherwise. This implies that their relationship is clear to everyone else except for themselves, particularly Needy. Either that or she's allowing her own eyes to deceive her, a theme explored later on in the film.

The second obvious display of mutual pining between the girls comes in the scene at their local bar. As they watch the shitty rock band perform, Jennifer reaches her hand out for Needy to hold. The pair hold hands and Needy appears blissful, until probably remembering she is "straight" and has a boyfriend, thus prompting her to wriggle her hand away. Thoughts of her boyfriend and her "heterosexuality" also force Needy to stop participating in a makeout sesh with demon Jennifer later in the movie.

The fourth scene that I felt was gay was actually a very straight scene. Needy having sex with her boyfriend Chip in her room as she "hallucinates" demon Jennifer taunting her from a chair. Needy makes noises, distressed, for which her boyfriend mistakes to be an orgasm. It is unclear to me if Jennifer was actually in Needy's room or if Needy's eyes were just deceiving her, however that's not what matters. What matters is that while Needy was having sex with her boyfriend, Jennifer occupied her mind, and it was ultimately Jennifer that made her "finish".

The final indication of gay in these girls exists in brief dialogue at the climax of the film. Needy intercepts Jennifer's attempt to eat Chip which prompts her to attack Needy. Needy says "I thought you only ate boys" to which Jennifer replies "I go both ways". This is obviously meant to suggest that Jennifer is bisexual. I also believe Jennifer's targeting of Chip was more intentional compared to her other victims as he was Needy's boyfriend. He is a manifestation of Needy's comp-het and stands in the way between the real couple that never gets realised.

Needy is ultimately the one to expel the demon from Jennifer, killing her body. This can an extreme metaphor for Needy suppressing her feelings. Jennifer is gone so her feelings for her must also be gone, right?. That's just not the case as what Needy does even after the death of Jennifer's body is fuelled by thoughts of Jennifer and the impact she left on her life.

To conclude, Jennifer's body is a story about two girls who are clearly in love but one of them won't admit it and one of them is a literal demon. Jennifer's a succubus, a temptress, that's how Needy explains her emotions even though they were clearly there before Jennifer's demonification. She won't just let herself be bi or gay because she's been conditioned to be "straight".