Synopsis

A wounded samurai stumbles through a dense forest, bloodied and increasingly close to death. After collapsing, he encounters strange, masked figures in white who appear to be forest spirits. They draw a plume of green smoke from his body, suggesting that his soul is leaving him, then briefly restore it. The cycle of death and revival continues in an eerie, dreamlike space, blending Japanese-inspired imagery, mystical folklore, and striking natural landscapes into an ambiguous vision of life slipping away.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Lovely Bloodflow" appears on Baths' debut album "Cerulean," released by Anticon in 2010.

• The video's concept developed after a long conversation between Will Wiesenfeld and the production team about Japanese aesthetics, samurai, anime, and feudal Japan.

• The creative brief called for death and violence to feel whimsical rather than strictly morbid. The samurai's death was also intended to lead into an ambiguous, dreamlike state.

• Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki were major visual influences during the storyboarding process. The costume design also drew from the work of Eiko Ishioka and Alexander McQueen.

• The shoot nearly lost its location when the team was denied access to its planned state park in Santa Cruz. After an unsuccessful search that included an appeal to Encyclopedia Pictura, the final location was found on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus.

• Takumi Akin plays the samurai. Jane Kilcullen, Molly Garber, and Genevieve Ward also appear in the video.

• The video was featured by Pitchfork on August 24, 2010, where its cinematic imagery was contrasted with the more homespun character of "Cerulean."