Synopsis

In a world of laboratories and crash tests, a male dummy appears to awaken to human emotions. He becomes drawn to a female dummy, and their strange, tender connection unfolds against a clinical environment designed to reduce them to test objects. As the pair move through the facility and out into open landscapes, the video contrasts their stiff, artificial bodies with remarkably recognizable feelings of attraction, vulnerability, and longing. The result is a bittersweet miniature romance in which love becomes an act of willing oneself into existence.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was made for Los Angeles indie-rock band NO and promoted the song from the 2011 EP "Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever."

• NO had previously been highlighted by NME as an Echo Park, Los Angeles band to watch. The group included Brad Carter, formerly of New Zealand band Steriogram.

• The production was commissioned by New Zealand On Air.

• The crash-test-dummy characters were played by Jonathan Conrad, Crystal Murphy, and Kara Hasset, with a separate group of performers appearing as scientists.

• The production was filmed in Santa Clarita and Malibu, California, combining controlled laboratory settings with outdoor locations.

• The video's central idea was summarized by its filmmaker as "willing yourself into existence," giving the otherwise artificial characters a surprisingly human emotional presence.

• The video became a Vimeo Staff Pick and was named a finalist in the Shots Evolution Showcase.

• The concept was later cited as one of the inspirations for the Daniels' feature film "Swiss Army Man."

• The video received attention from outlets including NME, Gizmodo, Uncrate, and The Tyee, with several writers noting the unusual contrast between expressionless dummies and the video's deeply sentimental tone.