3. M.I.A. Born Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeMvUlxXyz8 When it comes to controversial videos, musician M.I.A. is no stranger. Never is this more apparent than in the video for Born Free, released in 2010 from the album Maya. The video depicts an attempted genocide against people with red hair, as they're rounded up by the military and subsequently beaten and tortured. The premise might sound absurd, but it's told with po-faced seriousness, highlighting its criticism of oppression and political unrest. Surprisingly yet understandably the film was shot in California without M.IA.'s record labels' knowledge. At nine minutes long, the video is epic in scope and sincerity. One of its more eye-opening scenes includes a young, ginger-haired boy being shot in the head at point blank range as a group of red haired men are forced to flee across a mine field. The final shot of the video depicts one such adolescent stepping on a mine and being bloodily eviscerated.
Brian Wilson
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Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
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