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New vid: Deep Kick

  • 5th Oct, 2007 at 3:19 AM
Love & Pop

An out-of-con-season video? Just as much a surprise to me, I can assure you.

Video: Deep Kick
Footage: 十五(15) [movie, 2003]
Song: "Deep Kick" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers (from One Hot Minute, 1995)

>> Download the DivX-compatible avi file here. <<

No streaming version due to violence and nudity, sorry. Large size due to vid length - again, apologies.

Summary: Teen life and all that that implies.

Deep Kick is how I remember teen life. Not always through my own eyes, but through the eyes of my close friends I saw this life more often than I'd have liked. Still, among countless troubled memories, confused and painful, there exists a nostalgic feeling of familial closeness long since past. The brothersbloodcomradespartnerfamilycuzz, as Anthony and Flea put it.

So this video is about that... and in particular about five Singaporean gang kids who were very much living this life during the making of this film. To offer a little context of this doubtless unfamiliar movie, the film looks at the lives, experiences and relationships of a number of 15-year-old boys in Singapore who belong to a variety of urban gangs. The 'actors' in the film are kids from these gangs who live the kind of life they are depicting in the film and, despite the direction, many of the scenes were filmed unscripted or reshot based on real events that had happened. Suffice to say, there's a fine line between movie and documentary here and, while it's visually arresting, the art should not imply artificial.

There is no obvious audience for this video but I hope you find it interesting. Comments are hugely appreciated as always.

Lyrics:

It started when we were
little kids free spirits but
already tormented by our own hands
given to us by our parents we got together
and wrote on desks and slept in laundry
rooms near snowy mountains & slipped through
whatever cracks we can find minds altered
we didn't falter in portraying hysterical
and tragic characters in a smog filled
universe we loved the dirty city and the
journeys away from it we had not yet been
or seen our friends selves chase tails round
and round in downward spiral leaving trail
of irretrievable vital life juice behind still
the brothersbloodcomradespartnerfamilycuzz
was impenetrable
and we lived inside it laughing with no clothes
and everything experimental 'till death was
upon us in our face mortality and
lots of things seemed futile then but
love and music can save us and did while
the giant grey monster grew more poisoned
and volatile around us jaws clamping down
and spewing ugly shit around nothing
is the same so we keep moving
we keep moving

Went off and got some hair cuts
Lookin' wild & got all drugged up
Hopped a train into the night
Got a ride with a transvestite
Two boys in San Francisco
Two boys in San Francisco
Blasted off in a BART bathroom
Those coppers woke us up
Motherfuckers woke us up

Two young brothers on a hover craft
Telepathics love and belly laughs

We went to Fairfax High School
Jumped off buildings into their pools
We'd sit down and grease at Canters
Run like hell they can't catch us
Two boys in London, England
Two boys in London, England
Climbing out of hostel windows
Wearing gear so out but in though
Come on kid and do the no no

Two young brothers on a hover craft
Telepathics, love and belly laughs

I remember 10 years ago
In Hollywood we did some good
and we did some real bad stuff
but the Butthole Surfers
said it's better to regret
Something you did
than something you didn't do
yeah, we were young and we
were looking for the deep kick...
Seen 'em come seen
'em
go

Comments

( Leave a comment )
[info]sweetestdrain wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 05:05 (UTC)
This vid ties my guts in big loopy knots. I've already told you some of my thoughts, but... the big mess of emotion that the vid conveys, the depth of it... I am so freaking impressed. You have no idea.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 17:20 (UTC)
Thank you so so much. It means a lot.
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(Anonymous) wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 05:33 (UTC)
I am speechless (almost)
My Gosh, This vid is incredible! Such innocence and tough hardness going hand in hand. I was instantly sucked into the lives of these boys. Cringing, flinching, I almost looked away a couple of times but dared not miss a second. Feeling their pain and their love for each other. I'll have to watch it over many times and show it to people I know who work with at risk youth. Beautiful. Painful. Wonderful. Thanks!
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 17:22 (UTC)
Re: I am speechless (almost)
Thank you anonymous person!
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[info]jarrow wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 15:19 (UTC)
This vid was somehow even more powerful on the rewatch than the first time. You've really captured something here; it's raw and unflinching and doesn't shy away from that. The visuals and your editing are so completely arresting that it doesn't feel anywhere near six minutes long. Once it starts, I can't look away. And while I can't relate to what these boys are going through with my own past, I can feel their pain through this presentation of it, and it's haunting. Thank you for making this and sharing it with us. I think it's one of the most incredible vids you've made yet, if not the best.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 17:25 (UTC)
Well, you know how testosterone fucks you up, imagine that when you have no experience about life and are choked by the world around you. The vid fills in the rest :)

Thank you for the praise, it means a great deal.
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[info]laurashapiro wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 16:55 (UTC)
Dude, on the night of the SPN season premiere? What were you *thinking*???

Signed,

~ The only person in fandom who doesn't watch SPN

P.S. Looking forward to seeing this as soon as I'm not at work. (:
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 16:57 (UTC)
I was thinking people would be looking at their LJs for fannish talk :)

I'm not sure I was wrong, looking at my flist, but pimping a non-fannish vid is never, ever, easy.
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[info]laurashapiro wrote:
5th Oct, 2007 16:59 (UTC)
So true.

Well, I for one am looking forward to it!
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[info]bendtothesun wrote:
6th Oct, 2007 18:10 (UTC)
oh... wow. That was... *swallow* pretty damn amazing. I mean, I can't relate all that well with their situation but, I can understand where they are emotionally because really all teenagers go through that sort of shit. And oh do I feel for them.

*ahem* sorry, yeah. The vid was awesome, beautiful, touching and at times sweet but at the same time disturbing. I'd guess much like the movie itself. It made me tangled and aching and just- wow. I really can't say more but wow. And I obviously need to see this movie.

:) Awesome job.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
6th Oct, 2007 18:34 (UTC)
Thank you very much! I'm so glad you liked it :D
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[info]laurashapiro wrote:
7th Oct, 2007 15:31 (UTC)
Wow.
That was just beautiful.

I remember adolescence this way, too: the boredom, the violence, the self-hatred and other-hatred and out of control desire and an overwhelming combination of futility and hope, power and powerlessness, and those fragile yet intense connections that made it possible to keep getting out of bed in the morning.

God, hormones suck, don't they?

This brought it all screamingly back to life for me. It's an extremely disturbing and poignant experience, and your song choice is just perfect. I like the bits you added -- not just the occasional English translation but the sense of imagination you drew onto some of the scenes (literally or through your editing). Your trademark style really works brilliantly with the theme here; the distancing effect just underscoring the alienation the kids feel.

Gorgeous.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
9th Oct, 2007 22:42 (UTC)
Re: Wow.
Thank you! I'm so glad you appreciated it and most importantly that you can express its meaning so clearly. I find it almost impossible to put it into words, the video is the only effective way for me so it makes me very happy to see it being understood so clearly.
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[info]laurashapiro wrote:
10th Oct, 2007 16:09 (UTC)
Re: Wow.
The vid itself is so clear to me, so emotionally vital, that it was really easy for me to talk about it. (:
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[info]ejayye wrote:
7th Oct, 2007 18:58 (UTC)
Followed a rec from [info]sockkpuppet, and I'm so very glad I did.
That was incredible.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
9th Oct, 2007 22:43 (UTC)
Thank you!
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[info]ficbyzee wrote:
7th Oct, 2007 20:18 (UTC)
Oh, geez. I haven't had any of the experiences, really, that this movie seems to be about, and neither did most of my friends, but I still connected with this so hard. You captured the combination of destructive/constructive energy so well, the way that, when you're a teenager, you constantly want to build yourself up and then pull yourself apart. I don't really know what to say about this, honestly, because I can tell that it's a very personal vid and it also hit me very personally, so. Yeah. Thank you for making it.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
9th Oct, 2007 22:43 (UTC)
Thanks ever so much!
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[info]sdwolfpup wrote:
8th Oct, 2007 12:50 (UTC)
This is an amazing vid. Full of so much feeling, it's just a rush and an exhilirating, haunting ride. Your vidding style is perfect for this, and the vid is spectacular from top to bottom. It's stayed with me, too - I find myself periodically thinking about images from it.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
9th Oct, 2007 22:44 (UTC)
That's a wonderful compliment, thank you so much :)
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[info]tabaqui wrote:
8th Oct, 2007 19:09 (UTC)
Something about these boys...their child-skinny bodies and their delicate wrists...long fingers heavy with rings and their silly antics but there's blood on that boy's shirt, and scars on that one's face, and body...
Vicious and bitter and gorgeous images, obvious love and despair, little hope.

Very, very arresting.

Someone linked this...[info]sockpuppet or [info]bendtothesun...? Not sure who.

I enjoyed it in a very...can't quite look, uncomfortable way.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
9th Oct, 2007 22:44 (UTC)
Thank you for looking :)
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[info]fan_eunice wrote:
20th Oct, 2007 02:32 (UTC)
I don't think I can say it enough, how hauntingly gorgeous I find this vid and how much I love it. Amazing. :)
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[info]bradcpu wrote:
31st Oct, 2007 08:01 (UTC)
This was an incredibly powerful journey. Just overwhelming - visually and emotionally. And, as is the case with pretty much all of your work that I've seen, its personality is so in sync with the inspired music choice that it's impossible to imagine them as separate layers.
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[info]dualbunny wrote:
4th Nov, 2007 06:52 (UTC)
While a simple "WOW! O.O" would definitely sum up my reaction to this, I'll see if I can't dig just a little deeper. (I did enjoy Laura's comments on it--not sure I'll have anything that deep. ;})

Mostly, I'm left in awe again of how you've merged these sources. I honestly can't imagine that one ever existed without the other. That's nothing new for me with your vids, but how you manage to keep making that connection even tighter is pretty damn impressive.

I have no idea where the source ends and your additions begin--and I freakin' love that. Ok, so I suspected you added the text, but I would have had to ask to be sure. I'd love to know if you added all of the color work, or just used it as is. (Though either one would deserve plenty of gushing praise. ;D)

The first time I watched it though, all I could do was get caught up in the raw experience you distilled from these sources and how focused it is. Maybe it's hard for me to put into words after the vid's over because it's not something I personally remember or even really relate to. But when I'm in the vid, I forget that. Thank you for another fantastic work of art. :}
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[info]topofthepiano wrote:
5th Nov, 2007 03:00 (UTC)
Wow, this was really not a pulling punches kind of vid, huh? Really, I am just floored by this. As, um, everyone has said already the emotions of being a teenager are captured painfully well. I'm still kind of shaken actually by how intense all of the feelings and relationships come across. Thank you for making this. It's just amazing.
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[info]denyce wrote:
10th Mar, 2008 01:53 (UTC)
Hi, Just saw [info]morgandawn's post after returning from Escapade--meaning I just saw your vid there last night :-) & simply have to tell you, I was blown! away. Extremely powerful on so many levels, I just loved! loved! loved! Seriously thank you! I'll be enjoying this vid for a very long time.
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[info]copracat wrote:
10th Mar, 2008 21:36 (UTC)
Hi, just saw this mentioned on [info]kassrachel's Escapade report and had to find it immediately! This is fantastic. I wish I had words! I love "15" and I love what you've done.
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
10th Mar, 2008 21:39 (UTC)
Thank you! I'm pretty sure you are the first person to comment who saw the source before seeing the vid, which certainly makes me happy :D
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[info]giandujakiss wrote:
12th Mar, 2008 11:01 (UTC)
Hi there. I just watched this - and I plan to watch it a couple more times before writing about it :-) - but now I just wanted to clarify - the box cutter scene was actually some kid cutting himself? Were there other scenes like that in the vid/film?
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
12th Mar, 2008 11:12 (UTC)
The only special effects in the source (that is represented in the vid) is of the fight between the gangs. The scene where a boy has his face cut by another is simulated.

The self-harm, the piercings and the tatoos are all real unsimulated events, however. The swallowing of the drug-filled condom is also real.

The film was put together in an interesting manner. It's not *really* a documentary and it's not *really* scripted. Certain scenes were live and others were re-creations of events that had happened more-or-less as they were.
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[info]little_aphid wrote:
18th Mar, 2008 01:28 (UTC)
Holy fuck was that good. I was linked here by... someone, it was an Escapade write up post, and I can see why this generated controversy.
I loved all of it, even though parts were difficult to watch, particularly the cutting and piercing, but I couldn't turn away or close my eyes - it drew me in so completely. I adored the colour work, whether that was you or the movie it worked either way for me, and the over-the-top text seemed to work really well with the tone of the video, bold and striking.

Really I've got nothing much to say that hasn't been said already, so just wanted to let you know that I thought it was incredible - though I might not watch it again for a while.
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[info]danegen wrote:
21st Mar, 2008 00:10 (UTC)
I've been watching this incessantly for about a week. I haven't seen the movie (although I Netflixed it immediately), but I'm amazed at how well you built the story of these boys. Their story is certainly distressing (I feel the urge to buy them hot chocolate and maybe a pony), but this vid is so full of life and energy, that to me, it ultimately comes across as hopeful. I absolutely love it.
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[info]no_absolutes wrote:
29th May, 2009 20:36 (UTC)
So, I was directed here by a video rec list and come to find out, this vid is amazing. I know you put it up a long time ago, but I'd like to link to this post on my site Remember Us. I'd only link to the post, not the file.
Let me know if that's cool? It's amazing, I'm going to watch it again... |)
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[info]absolutedestiny wrote:
30th May, 2009 09:28 (UTC)
Thank you! Yes, you most certainly can link to my vid. No problem at all.
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