Just last week, Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas screened his a 13-minute mini film for “Human Sadness,” in selected theaters across the U.S. Now, the video for the song off of his 2014 solo debut Tyranny, under the name Julian Casablancas +the Voidz, has been released online.
“Human Sadness” has been in the making since February of 2014, directed by Warren Fu Nicholaus Goosenn. According to Casablancas via Consequence of Sound, the “Human Sadness” film is relatively based off of the remaining moments of the 1998 film Titanic, when the quartet on board is playing to their demise. “We create, desire, seek to be entertainment, and destroy,” stated Casablancas about the videos theme, “All while experiencing, propagating and trying to escape pain of some kind.” The film begins with a quote by 13th-century poet and mystic Rumi.
The video is also influenced by each Voidz members personal stories, depicted between the bands performance scenes and the gradually chaotic imagery. The depth of the video symbolizes a heavy and resonant quality to the viewer, showing acts of love, warfare, domestic abuse, alcoholism and possible infidelity that rumble up until the end, where Casablacas is seen lounging on the shore of what seems to be a post-apocalyptic world, with only a dog by his side.
Watch the “Human Sadness” film below and check out our article on Daft Punk’s video featuring Julian as well as our review on his show back in October.