Synopsis

"Montana" unfolds like a half-remembered family story. A young boy spends time with his father before the older man leaves for war, while fragments of military life, domestic moments, and childhood landscapes blur together. Years later, the boy has become a troubled adult still carrying the weight of that absence. As memories and apparitions overlap, he confronts the emotional presence of the father he lost, turning the song's themes of grief, regret, and letting go into a compact, dreamlike period drama.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was conceived as a series of short emotional vignettes rather than a strictly linear narrative. The production relied heavily on improvisation.

• Although it evokes the 1950s, the wartime imagery was specifically reminiscent of the Korean War. That connection was personal for the filmmaker, whose two grandfathers had served in Korea.

• More than 30 hours of footage were reportedly recorded, making the editing process unusually demanding for a five-minute music video.

• A storm became an unplanned part of the shoot. While filming near a lake, the crew heard a loud crash as a tree fell nearby, and the moment was retained because it added to the atmosphere.

• The vintage car seen in the video was found outside a thrift store while the production team was looking for military wardrobe. Its owner was approached on the spot and agreed to lend it for filming.

• The images were captured with Canon 5D Mark II and 7D cameras, using 20mm, 35mm, and 85mm lenses.

• Youth Lagoon's Trevor Powers gave the visual team broad freedom to interpret the song, saying that he trusted the cinematic approach because the song itself was rooted in loss.

• The video helped establish "Montana" as one of the most cinematic pieces associated with Youth Lagoon's debut album, "The Year of Hibernation."