Phoebe Bridgers and Phoebe Waller-Bridge are collaborating on a surreal new video
Phoebe Bridgers is known for making beautiful music that seems to look into our souls. She's had a pretty spectacular year so far. She recently received four Grammy nominations following the release of her critically acclaimed album Punisher in June.
As another welcome antidote to the general misery of 2020, the musician has just presented her latest project – and it's a collaboration that dreams are made of.
The music video for "Savior Complex" by @phoebe_bridgers is here ???? Directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge with @mescal_paul & Charlotte.
???? https://t.co/AUdOunhLCU pic.twitter.com/c0CXwoSgZj
– Dead Oceans (@DeadOceans) December 1, 2020
Bridgers had previously made himself known as a superfan of the work of actress, writer and producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge in several previous interviews, and it turned out that the feeling was mutual after the two Phoebes started emailing during the pandemic to exchange.
It was Waller-Bridge who first recommended Hulu and BBC's adaptation of Sally Rooney's Normal People, and got Bridgers to hook up with the show's breakout star (and one of People's Sexiest Men Alive in 2020), Paul Mescal, befriended.
The result of this series of lucky lockdown coincidences is Savior Complex, a new video for one of the favorite songs from Bridger's latest album, staged by Waller-Bridge and Mescal alongside a Chihuahua named Charlotte.
Speaking to Vanity Fair about the video, the musician says, "I love that I was like 'Phoebe, Paul wants to be in a music video," and she said, "Got it. "We're going to have a dog that steals from him." So somehow I was there. "
The cryptic video is beautifully shot in black and white and begins with Mescal sitting on a beach, battered and bloody, where he meets Charlotte wearing a doggo-sized superhero cloak.
While at first glance it may seem like the injured Mescal needs to be rescued, a series of surreal twists and cameos of a phantom bridger show that he may deserve more karma than compassion.
"It's like the fox in Fleabag – it could mean anything … To me, it's very David Lynchian," Bridgers told Vanity Fair. “I love music videos that complement the idea of music in a completely different way…. The only concept I really get (the video) is the assumptions people make about people – and the disassembly is so much fun. "
Check out the full Savior Complex video on Facebook