In 2014, Sia‘s “Chandelier” became one of, if not, the most viewed, talked about, parodied and shamelessly ripped off videos of the year.
As a result, it isn’t exactly a surprise to see that the next chapter in the 1000 Forms Of Fear saga once again gives the spotlight to tremendously talented Dance Moms mini-diva, Maddie Ziegler. Only this time, she’s joined by a familiar face: Shia LaBeouf.
The triumphant endurance anthem “Elastic Heart” isn’t really a new song from the campaign: In fact, it was featured on the soundtrack of 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (the one before last year’s Lorde-curated set), although this newly released version nixes The Weeknd, allowing Sia to sing it the whole way through herself.
Like “Chandelier, the choreographed clip sees little Maddie in her little Sia wig, although the scenery is different: Rather than twirling around in an abandoned home, she’s now locked inside an eerie, Saw-like cage with a dueling dancer: A very shirtless Shia.
Together, they violently and aggressively clash, working through a series of complicated emotions expressed through their strange gestures. Maddie climbs all over Shia, while Shia fights her off — they bite, scratch, yelp. It’s a full-on battle…that is, until they learn to co-exist within their confines. It’s a fantastic, if not uncomfortable performance on the part of both Maddie and Shia, who capture the raw emotion of the track with expert precision.
No point in ruining the very end, which runs for almost a full minute without any sound, but it’s undoubtedly the moment that will leave the most lasting, and perhaps unsettling, impression.
There are plenty of conclusions to be drawn about the overall meaning. My personal interpretation? It’s a metaphor for the way we fight with each other, as a society and within our own circles, without realizing that the more universal fight we all face is simply to be free.
‘1000 Forms Of Fear’ was released on July 8. (iTunes)