Synopsis

Set in a shadowy park after dark, the video follows Katie Stelmanis as she observes strangers seeking intimacy, release and connection in hidden corners. Shot in vivid green night vision, it presents a series of sensual encounters involving couples and solitary figures, including a tender relationship between a trans woman and a man. Rather than treating these encounters as shameful, the video frames them as private acts of desire and vulnerability, suggesting that understanding one another matters more than seeking forgiveness.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was released in November 2013 as the third video from Austra's second album, "Olympia."

• Katie Stelmanis said the video was built around the idea of people who are often misunderstood by mainstream society. Its focus is not on apologizing for identity or sexuality, but on the emotional connections between the people involved.

• Toronto trans performance artist Judy Virago appears in a central role. Stelmanis emphasized that the character's trans identity was meant to be visible without making it the sole subject of the story.

• Ameena, a Toronto sex worker, also appears in the video. Her inclusion was part of the project's effort to present people whose lives and relationships are frequently judged from the outside.

• Stelmanis cited Edouard Manet's painting "Olympia" as an important inspiration. She was drawn to the painting's direct confrontation with the viewer and its portrayal of a woman as an active, self-possessed figure rather than a passive object.

• The video's green night-vision look turns the park into an almost dreamlike private world, while also suggesting that these encounters are taking place outside conventional public visibility.

• "Forgive Me" was performed live in the studio by Austra without programming or loops, drawing on the group's interest in early Chicago house music performed by live musicians.