Synopsis

In a sun-baked Latin American city, a young revolutionary couple moves through a violent conflict between government forces and armed dissidents. Rosario Dawson plays the movement's glamorous figurehead as soldiers, protesters, and branded soft drinks fill the frame. The apparent political action film suddenly reveals itself as a glossy television commercial for a fictional cola, playing inside an electronics store. When the storefront is attacked, the advertising fantasy gives way to chaotic nighttime footage of a genuine urban riot, with demonstrators turning their anger toward soda vending machines.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Tepito, Mexico City, on August 19, 1999. The production was shot on 35mm color film and has a listed running time of 4 minutes, 27 seconds.

• Rosario Dawson and Michel Brown appear in the cast, alongside Jose Ludlow and members of the Mexico City Police Department.

• The political imagery draws on the Mexican conflict involving the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, but the commercial twist turns the revolutionary imagery into a critique of consumer culture.

• The final riot sequence unexpectedly became real. Extras assembled for the shoot confronted roughly 40 Mexico City police officers, forcing the crew to capture the action without a normal rehearsal.

• Cinematographer Christopher Soos used an infrared night camera for the riot footage, giving the closing scenes their unstable, documentary-like appearance.

• The production won the 1999 MVPA award for Best Editing, credited to Bill Yukich.

• The song features Bernard Sumner of New Order on vocals and guitar, with additional vocals by Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream.