Chatroom

I don't usually pay much mind to music videos, but writer-director Maegan Houang's vision for Charly Bliss' song "Chatroom" is a great exception that deserves a bit of extra attention.

This isn't just a music video, it's a short film. While the lyrics of the song somewhat pair with the narrative we see, it's no direct correlation - and the happily bouncy tone of the song definitely contrasts with the picture we're watching. Meanwhile, there's not a single word of spoken dialogue - yet in 4 minutes, a complete story is told.

This is so much fun!

The setting and premise is instantly discernible to anyone who has spent nary a moment learning about cults and fringe religious groups: Magnetic Charly Bliss frontwoman Eva Hendricks herself takes center stage as a woman seemingly low in the rankings among at least more than a dozen others. She vies for the attention - and affections - of the enigmatic figure and cult leader (Kailer Scopacasa) who passes her over, overwhelmed with every slight indication that he has noticed her. Hendricks is outstanding in this small feature, portraying her character's mixture of emotions with great deftness.

Quick though this narrative may be, it conveys strong themes of self-empowerment, breaking free of one's (proverbial) bonds, and the disillusionment that comes with stark moments of clarity. Not only is "Chatroom" fun, but it packs a wallop in its brevity.

There's only so much detail that can be devised in this short a format to round out the visuals of a story, but Houang and the obviously experienced, excellent crew are up to the task. The wardrobe assembled by costume designer Raquel Rivera suggests an austere lifestyle for the cultists, with mostly identical garments of muted color portending the tasks they perform in service to their leader. So it is with hair and make-up (Kelly Park, Akihiro Sawada), props (Zoë Bax, Cynthia Wu) and sets (Sofie Somoroff, Giovanna Chiarella), handily intimating that even as one man stands revered among them and seemingly poised to bestow his graces, the cultists live and toil in rather spartan circumstances. And when the scene changes to a more elaborate and lavish setting, glimpsed however briefly, all involved have done just as well to keep the audience engaged in the atmospere projected.

I've written more words here than there are in lyrics in the song, over a period of time longer than the short I'm describing. But that kind of emphasizes my point: For such a short video, and a music video at that, there's a lot going on in "Chatroom." And I absolutely love it.

Whether one likes the song itself or not - and how could you not? - "Chatroom" is well worth 4 minutes of your time.