Synopsis

In a stark black-and-white portrait of Los Angeles, two men head into the concrete channel of the L.A. River for an unlikely fishing trip. Their outing unfolds with the quiet patience of a documentary: they walk, prepare their lines, wait, and share moments of unreadable conversation amid weeds, trash, water, and concrete. The strange urban landscape gradually gives the simple excursion an unexpectedly intimate charge, culminating in a final look at what the friends have managed to pull from the river.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was inspired by the largely unseen fishing culture around the Los Angeles River, turning a heavily urbanized waterway into the setting for an understated outdoor adventure.

• The black-and-white photography emphasizes the contrast between the river's natural elements and its concrete channel, giving the clip the feel of an observational documentary.

• Actors Michael Gladis and John Ennis play the two fishing companions.

• The screenplay grew out of a collaboration involving Cold War Kids bassist Matt Maust and filmmakers Vern Moen and Jesse Gloyd.

• The production came from Long Beach Film Company, fitting the video's distinctly local Southern California character.

• The clip premiered through Esquire in September 2013.

• "Bitter Poem" closes Cold War Kids' 2013 album "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts." The song's theme of old friends dealing with distance or unresolved tension gives the fishing trip an additional emotional dimension.

• The video's final image transforms an ordinary catch into a surprisingly affecting conclusion, providing a quiet payoff instead of a conventional narrative twist.