Synopsis

In a dark, clinical room, Ellie Goulding drinks a liquid resembling the simulation serum from Divergent and enters a dreamlike forest. There, she wanders through mist, moves instinctively to the song, and encounters a mysterious young man, played by model Diego Barrueco. Their attraction feels magnetic, but elusive, as she is repeatedly drawn toward him even when she tries to leave. Intercut scenes from Divergent connect the song's romantic longing with Tris and Four's dangerous, emotionally charged world.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was created as a visual companion to Divergent, with Goulding placed inside imagery based on the film's simulation sequences and fear landscape.

• Goulding's forest styling includes a black dress and tattoos, visually echoing the Dauntless faction's aesthetic from Divergent.

• Diego Barrueco, who plays the mysterious man, was a fashion model rather than one of the film's principal cast members.

• The video premiered on MTV and MTV.com on March 11, 2014, and was available exclusively on MTV.com for its first 24 hours.

• Goulding later made the video available through her official YouTube account on March 28, 2014.

• The video's release was supported by a live MTV News appearance featuring Goulding alongside Divergent stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James.

• Goulding described the song as being about separation from someone loved, while retaining hope that two people who belong together will eventually find their way back to each other.

• "Beating Heart" was written by Joe Janiak in 2012 in a much different form: its original arrangement was built around a banjo. Goulding subsequently reworked some of the lyrics before the song became the electropop track used for Divergent.