A review of Missy Jubilee’s 192nd film ‘SheMonsters’
By Alan Rogers in London
Are you aware that your wordpress archive for ‘Missy Jubilee’s Vagina’ blog is still active on the web? (https://missyjubilee.wordpress.com/2013/06/)
I stumbled upon it today via your brief but important IMDB page. Some interesting stuff still being kept on those dusty shelves. Do you ever get an out of body experience when reading words from a younger self?
And do you ever get the feeling that you don’t even recognise the words you have written. Like someone else wrote them. Who? It makes no sense. It is the doppleganger at work again. The strange case.
The arc of your filmography has changed, as you quite honestly confess in your poem that previewed this film. We are all different people now. We are all wiser after the event. Hindsight Carrier; barely used (one careful owner). We have gained weight and lost it. We have grown our hair, washed it (and maybe one or two have dyed it), then cut it. We have reconsidered our priorities, then changed them. How fickle we are. How marvellous. How human.
I have (also) been thinking about expectations and outcomes (rather than correlation vs causation, although I have been having interesting conversations about vaccine data along those lines), and in particular, about worthiness of words to describe your output.
I have been looking at it all the wrong way. It was nice of you not to shout at me for doing so, but now the penny has dropped; I have been wrong and I admit it.
It was incredibly arrogant of me and disrespectful to feedback with the first words that came into my head.
Frankly my first thoughts are often the meaningless rantings of a sex obsessed, mildly confused, geezer.
I need time to process your work. I need to think long and hard about what it means to me once it is processed by my soul as well as my brain. I need to watch it fully. Watch it again. Write down the words I see. Listen to the dialogue you knit into the tapestry. Try and interpret your meanings (there are always more than one) and make an attempt at understanding the motivation for making the video.
To try and capture what it is that lights up my dim witted male psyche.
I must (in short) do better.
This review is the result of that slow train arriving. I hope you find it more considered and worthy.
I’VE GOT NOTHING ELSE TO LOSE. NOTHING CAN HURT ME NOW
JOAQUIN PHOENIX / JOKER / 2019
I am aware that you are a Batman fan. I have to admit that in the DC/Marvel output, I have been favouring the Marvel output until late. I get that The Batman needed a dark edge to compensate for the intentionally comic 60’s Batman TV series with Adam West and Burt Ward. I also get that Heath Ledger bought a fabulous menace to the ‘Joker’ that the role genuinely needed.
I also confess that the franchise as it grew, made me want to know more. I did in fact purchase a graphic novel called ‘Harleen’ by Stjepan Sejic; the origin story of Harley Quinn (who I had never heard of until she appeared in the ‘Suicide Squad’ film). This is the back story of the criminal therapist who falls in love with the Joker whilst he is in prison, then becomes his muse, and his submissive; the novel really covers her gradual fall from intelligent ‘voice of reason’ to being the Joker’s plaything.
He is clearly your main reference for a Hemonster. Batman keeps his tool firmly in his utility belt.
PSYCHIATRIST: WHATS SO FUNNY
ARTHUR FLECK: I WAS THINKING OF A JOKE
PSYCHIATRIST: DO YO WANT TO TELL ME?
ARTHUR FLECK: YOU WOULDN’T GET IT
Now, it shows how little I know of the franchise, that I had to confirm (google) that Arthur Fleck was the Joker’s ‘real’ name. I probably read over that in the novel.
Cut to classic Missy beach shot. Close up of underboob.
PROLOGUE
THE JOKER AND THE MENTALIST
Gary Glitter the kiddie-fiddler is pretending to be a teenager again. Not saying it is not a great tune. That bassline and drum sound with the guitar riff elevate the sound towards mastery. But I can’t look past the fact he was an odious little shit.
ONE COULD UNDERSTAND EVERYONES MIND
THE OTHER COULDN’T UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN MIND
Your nipples are truly outstanding.
Although reversed; I believe you mean to infer that the Mentalist could understand and the Joker Couldn’t? But that is the trick. We have to make our own minds up. I like it.
THE MENTALIST WAS AN AMERICAN CRIME DRAMA SERIES
THAT RAN FROM 2008 UNTIL 2015 ON CBS
THE LEAD ACTOR IN THE SERIES WAS AUSTRALIAN SIMON BAKER
HE PLAYED A PSYCHIC WHO BECAME A CONSULTANT TO THE FBI
HE SOLVED MYSTERIOUS CRIMES BY USING THE
HIGHLY DEVELOPED OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS HE PREVIOUSLY
EMPLOYED TO READ PEOPLE’S MINDS
Quotes here about decency. Not sure where from.
THE SHOW WAS UNDER-APPRECIATED FOR ITS UNIQUE
EXPOSITIONAL NARRATIVE STRUCTURE THAT WAS DEVELOPED
BY SHOW CREATOR BRUNO HELLER
Again. Not my field of expertise. I have never seen the Mentalist. I shall try it.
“I CANT TURN HIM IN”
ACT 1: MR RABBIT
This immediately made me think of a sex toy. That is clearly the level of deviancy my mind works at these days.
EVEN THE JOKER UNDERSTOOD
HOW DANGEROUS A MASK CAN BE
I am feeling quite unprepared for this review. I feel like I need to do some homework first.
IT ALLOWS US TO HIDE FROM WHO WE ARE
The subject of mask wearing is a constant in your projekt. The idea of acting a character that is not necessarily you, but maybe an exaggerated form of you. Or maybe a toned down one, because the real version of Missy was so completely out of control that she has to be censored for a wider audience? Who knows? Well you do. Obvs.
MR RABBIT DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE DANGER
A.A. MILNE / WINNIE THE POOH
‘HELLO MR RABBIT’ THE MAN SAID
‘IS THAT YOU?’
‘LETS PRETEND IT ISN’T’ SAID MR RABBIT
‘AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS’
Good answer Mr Milne.
This is the bit where the criminal drops his mask. Nice bit of acting really. And the use of Moby Dick as a motif; It really is a difficult book to read. Nobody that childish could accomplish the act.
TITLES
Redemptive is a good word.
ACT 2: WHAT IS YOUR MONSTER?
THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF MONSTERS
Snoop cool. And the beat drops.
THE KIND THAT LIVE AMONGST US
I would have written ‘lives among us’, I think I prefer your way though…
AND THE KIND THAT LIVE INSIDE US
Is this an either/or choice? I feel that we might have a bit of both. Fence sitting again Mr Rogers? Yeah.. but surely we recognise the fact that at times our Monster becomes public. And sometimes it lurks just in my suppressed conscious. It is not really two monsters. Just one that we try and hide.
Your monster appears to be an exorcism of guilt. But I am no Harleen.
HELLO FRIEND
Good Morning Ms Jubilee.
Are we all nerds to you? I have a feeling we are.
SHEMONSTERS
AND THE FIVE WAYS THEY CONTROL YOU
- THEY SEEM HARMLESS
- THEY MAKE YOU GAZE LONGINGLY INTO THE ABYSS
- THEY CREATE OBSESSIONS
I really like the way in which you create lists for everything. It is a male trait you know. We order things. We like to keep our possessions in dewey decimal (but also have a biscuit tin somewhere containing all the shit we haven’t sorted yet).
WHAT’S YOUR MONSTER?
A good question. Mine is probably a high libido gremlin that looks for a sexual angle in most common applications. It drives me up the wall. But after a while I realise it is just a ventriloquist dummy and despite appearances, it is controlled by me.
- THEY ARE POLITE AND AND ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS THEREBY SEEMING TO BE VERY INTERESTED IN YOU, HOWEVER THEY ALWAYS HAVE A HIDDEN AGENDA AND THEIR AGENDA ALWAYS INVOLVES SHAMING
I have not lost the thread here. I know where this is leading. There is manipulation in the mating game from both parties.
I watch pigeons running round my garden (yes I am afraid we get pigeons in the London suburbs, although they are not as filthy as their city cousins). The male is constantly trying to get his end away. Fluttering to mount the female. The female flies off at the last minute. But not too far. She doesn’t want him to give up. She enjoys the chase. Eventually she will let him have a go. It doesn’t last long enough for her to enjoy it, but the game is good.
In the meantime you stroll naked through a clearing. The aspect ratio is wrong, but who cares?
There are some who love the suggestion of nudity. The stockinged legs. The bare midriff. The cleavage.
Me? I simply adore female frontal nudity. There is nothing so pure and primal and openly sexual as the female naked. Particularly if that nudity is in public. Is that a kink?
- THEY DISMANTLE THEIR MONSTROUS FORM SO THEY CAN COMMIT MORAL CRIMES IN PLAIN SIGHT
Summer times see the crime figures soar.
An amazing montage here on crime and punishment. Genuinely impressed. This must have taken you ages to craft.
SHEMONSTER’S AREN’T BORN
THEY ARE RECRUITED
BY INSECURITY
BY ANGER
AND MANIPULATION
AND WHEN THEY TARGET YOU
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS
I KNOW THESE THINGS
BECAUSE I AM ONE
YOU SEE, FOR ME
MEN ARE ONE THING
PREY
The ominous swelling of music disappears here and you tap a comedic response. With Austin Powers contributing the affirmative
And your victims are willing. We will not fly off at the last minute. We know where we stand.
PORN IS LIKE A MONSTER
Agreed. It has bubbled in the mind of perverts and struggled to make a mainstream debut, but since the invention of mass media and in particular the world wide web, it has emerged from it’s murky swamp.
YOU CAN INVESTIGATE IT BY SEARCHING
EVERY IMAGE FROM EVERY ANGLE
Probably best not to unless you have a VPN though.
Again. I am liking this montage. You are sending a subtle (maybe not subtle at all) message that porn is an alternative reality.
LIKE A MONSTER, ON THE SURFACE,
PORN AS WE KNOW IT SEEMS PERFECTLY
TWO DIMENSIONAL
It is fantasy. Those that cannot separate it from reality are in real trouble.
BUT IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, YOU CAN
SEE A CRACK. CATCH A SIDEWAYS GLANCE
A MOMENT WHEN THE MONSTERS FACE
AND WORDS CAN BE SEEN IN PORN
I have seen my fair share of bad porn. I think men are so tuned towards the achievement of orgasm that they are willing to believe the women in porn are all multi-orgasmic messes that are hooked on having orgasm after orgasm for their own obvious enjoyment.
I am want to believe that women have become far better at faking enjoyment of a sex act than men are willing to acknowledge. Normally.
I also believe that some women enter the porn industry because they are sex addicts that enjoy all aspects of sex and have concluded that they might as well get paid for their hobby.
But they quickly learn that there is still a lot of faking to get through the long day.
IN PORN I SEE MONSTERS. AND THESE
FLEETING GLIMPSES FASCINATED ME
Particularly with oral sex scenes IMHO. I cannot see how a constant supply of genitals to service without reciprocation can be fun.
IT IS LIKE WATCHING TWO PEOPLE,
ONE HIDING IN THE OTHER’S SKIN
Now I am not so naive as to not understand the desire to please a partner. That the act of giving can be more rewarding than the act of receiving. But that is an act made entirely within the minds of the participants. That is an intimate love that cannot be replicated in porn.
AND THEIR SKIN IS TOO DRY,
ON THE VERGE OF CRACKING AND SHOWING
THE MONSTROUS SHOCKING THING BENEATH
THAT MONSTROUS SHOCKING THING BENEATH
PORN WAS WHAT I SET OUT TO CHANGE
BUT I WAS WRONG
THE MONSTER WAS NOT HIDING IN PORN
IT WAS HIDING IN ME
I take this to mean that you believe that you have been as dishonest as a porn star within the confines of your own private sexual experiences. Although I realise that may be a little unfair on you, as you are never intentionally dishonest. It is all about the mask wearing.
The visuals change to bottle end glasses guy getting panicky.
I’LL GIVE YOU A DEMONSTRATION OF
HOW A SHEMONSTER WILL DEVOUR YOU
IN AN EVERYDAY SITUATION
WE’LL USE A YOGA CLASS AS AN EXAMPLE
The Yoga class is a classic set-up. Girls and Boys in tight fitting lycra. Physically stretching and posing in front of each other. Or is my mind doing it’s thing again? That be my monster, that be.
KARHMA YOGA STUDIO
ONE FINE SUMMERS DAY
TOM SEGURA
Stand up comedian doing a skit about boring relationships.
THIS IS A SHEMONSTER
AND THIS IS ITS PREY
IT IS SLOW MOVING AND DIM WITTED
Hey! Ah. Ok. Fair enough.
AND SO THE HUNT BEGINS
THE PREY HAS BEEN ISOLATED
Away from the gaggle of people milling around after the Yoga class. Now it is just him and her.
THE SHEMONSTER PICKS ITS TARGET CAREFULLY
IT LOOKS FOR VULNERABILITY
AND EGO FRAGILITY
She knows he finds her attractive. Why wouldn’t he? I actually find his dialogue quite refreshingly honest.
WATCH THE SHEMONSTERS FACE CAREFULLY
BECAUSE IT ISN’T A FACE
IT IS THE MASK OF A PREDATOR
This is where the Mentalist should suit up. Where is Simon Baker when you need him.
THE PREY HAS NO AWARENESS OF THE LURKING DANGER
SO HE FALLS RIGHT INTO THE TRAP
AND THEN, THE SHEMONSTER STRIKES
I remember a girl in one of my classes back in the 70’s, asking (before the teacher walked in) if any of the boys wanted to feel her tits. She said it in a jokey way, thrusting her chest out into her school blouse (she was wearing a bra, you could see it through the cotton). Nobody moved and she laughed and sat down again with her giggling mates.
She was a tease. She would never have allowed you to get near her without screaming blue murder or punching you. It was a game. I think this is what you are implying here.
SEXUAL SHAMING VENOM COURSES THROUGH HIS BODY
THE PREY IS IMMOBILISED
IT KNOWS IT IS ABOUT TO BE DEVOURED
Yes we know the traps and we walk willingly into them.
YOGA DID NOT PREPARE HIM FOR THIS
THE SHEMONSTER BEGINS TO FEED ON HIS SELF-ESTEEM
HIS LIMBIC SYSTEM GOES INTO SHUTDOWN
HE MUST THINK QUICKLY AS HE IS DEATH ROLLED
BUT HE IS NO MATCH FOR THE CUNNING SHEMONSTER
Great imagery. I very much like these words.
AUTHORITY PASSES TO THE SHEMONSTER THROUGH PARAPHRASING
NOTICE THE SHEMONSTERS LOOK OF SELF-SATISFACTION
NO! DON’T MENTION THE PLUMMAGE YOU IDIOT
I like the way you have gone into comedic subtext here. It is great that you see the funny side.
Do women really complain about looking? I have witnessed women displaying much cleave; but I have never heard grown women complaining about men looking. That said; there are posters on the tube now that say that staring is a form of sexual assault. I can get behind that.
This comes back to the Jodie Foster movie ‘the accused’ where she is raped and then told she was ‘looking to be raped’ by a misogynistic lawyer for dressing in hotpants and tight vest top without a bra.
Of course women should have the right to wear whatever they want, and display as much of their bodies as they feel comfortable doing. Men should not make women feel uncomfortable doing so. But to not look is probably a step too far. Not staring is probably about right. It is unsuppressed ogling, and it would make anyone uncomfortable.
THE SHEMONSTERS PLAN IS EXECUTING PERFECTLY
SO, YOU NOTICED MY PERFECT TITS DID YOU?
(Whistles while looking at the ceiling)
AND NOW WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT MY TIT TRAPS?
Tit traps? Wonderful.
TELL ME HOW MUCH CONTROL THEY HAVE OVER YOU
SMUGNESS OVERCOMES THE SHEMONSTER
QUICK, CHANGE FACIAL EXPRESSION TO CONFUSION
Dig that hole, man (hurry up Simon, we need you)
OH TELL ME MORE BANDANA MAN
I’M JUST A GIRL, I DON’T UNDERSTAND BIOLOGY
I’M SOOOO CONFUSED BY YOUR BIG BRAIN
I have found in the long course of my existence that;
- Women are sometimes physically stronger than men, and are certainly not the ‘weaker sex’.
- Women are, on average more emotionally intelligent than men, and often better academically than men, although since men have not given up on the power play, they face a huge battle for recognition of this fact.
HE THINKS HE’S ESCAPING. BUT HE’S NOT
HIS BALLS HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO SHEKILL
THIS IS LIKE A WILDEBEEST SAYING TO A LION
I LOVE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE WITH YOUR MANE
Brilliant stuff Missy. This is classic Love Sex ART stuff.
THIS IS UN-NECESSARY NARRATIVE EXPOSITION
Ouch. But I deserve that, even if I am taking a perfectly innocent statement and personalising it as a side swipe due to ego fragility.
IF YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE
WHEN A MAN FALLS INTO A SHEMONSTER TRAP
YOU DON’T HAVE TO WONDER ANYMORE
Are we really all Captain Obvious? Perhaps. Perhaps it is true and I stand among these walking male zombies entranced by female wiles.
NO WORDS ARE REQUIRED TO DESCRIBE THE CARNAGE
BUT THERE IS A NATURAL ENEMY OF THE SHEMONSTER
BANDANA MAN IS NOT THE NATURAL ENEMY
When did logic ever break out in one of those scenarios?
SO WHAT IS THE NATURAL ENEMY OF A SHEMONSTER YOU ASK?
A HEMONSTER OF COURSE
For every ying, there is a yang.
HEMONSTER DAYS ARE MUCH THE SAME AS YOURS
HE MONSTERS HAVE TO PAY BILLS TOO
BUT FOR THIS HEMONSTER, TODAY WOULD BE DIFFERENT
TODAY ONE MONSTER WOULD EAT ANOTHER MONSTER
And I am sure you are not talking about oral sex.
12 HOURS EARLIER
Stanger Things reference?
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT SHEMONSTERS DREAM ABOUT?
CLINICAL STUDIES OF SHEMONSTER SLEEP PATTERNS SHOW
THAT EVERY TIME A SHEMONSTER SLEEPS
SHE HAS FEAR DREAMS ABOUT THE PAIN OF BEING ALONE
You like growly male voices don’t you? Rhetorical question. Of course you do. What is this poem.
I spent some time here, on first pass, trying to work out whether by ‘shemonster’ you mean a generalisation of a all ‘types’ of women. I know it resolves itself soon now of course. I didn’t then.
BECAUSE SHEMONSTERS DO NOT CREATE FAMILIAL UNITS
HOWEVER, ONCE SHEMONSTERS ACHIEVE R.E.M. SLEEP,
THEIR DREAMS EVOLVE PRECARIOUSLY
I loved the close up of 11 when she was in the sensory chamber and Millie Bobby Brown had to ‘act’ REM but her eyes couldn’t move quick enough, so it just looked like she was awake and looking from side to side with her eyes closed. Amazing actress, but they should have speeded up the film when they closed in on her face.
IN THESE DREAMS, SHEMONSTERS GLIMPSE INTO
THEIR OWN PRECARIOUS MENTAL STATE
THEY BECOME AWARE OF THEIR VULNERABILITIES
AND THEY BEGIN TO QUESTION THEIR ORIGIN STORY
Why am I reminded of Harley – Quinn again?
BECOMING OBSESSED WITH CORRELATION VS CAUSATION
The issue is that the wrong data is often used to cite correlation.
AND THEN THEIR NIGHTMARE FINALLY PEAKS IN INTENSITY
WHEN THEY EXPERIENCE PYCHO-SOMATIC ROLE REVERSAL
AND THEY BECOME VICTIMS OF HEMONSTERS
THE INDIGNITY IS TRULY NIGHTMARISH
I love the fact that you consider loss of dignity a greater shame here. I am quite struck by your creation of this monster. You have breathed life into it.
WHEN YOU LIVE IN A FISHBOWL,
AIN’T NO SUCH THING AS CHANGE
That sounds like a quote. LMGTFY; ah. Mr Robot. Of course.
Friday 13th guy wrapping up girl in sheet then bashing her against a tree. Seems legit.
THEN, CLOSE TO DAWN, THEY COMFORT THEMSELVES
WITH THE POWER OF PERSUASIVE SEXUAL ALLURE
THIS ENSURES THEY WAKE UP FOCUSED
HUNGRY FOR MONSTROUS POSITIVE SUB-TEXT
An animalistic ritual. Sketched out beautifully.
WHEN YOU GROW UP AS A MONSTROUS HIDEOUS MISFIT
IS IT ANY WONDER THAT SHEMONSTERS
FIND SEXUAL SOLACE IN SUB-TEXT?
Definition of subtext going on here, which in a weird way adds to confusion.
TRY LIVING YOUR LIFE SUFFERING THE DIS-INTEREST
OF TORCH-BEARING INTELLETUALS
WHO SEEM INTENT ON DEFINING YOU AS A
MEANINGLESS PHANTASM WHO IS BEST IGNORED
The George Orwell reference is clever. Named after the river that runs through Ipswich town.
This attempts to define the origin of the Shemonster. To categorise her at last into a sub category of women who’s past is troubled.
ONE HOUR BEFORE WAKING
PREY VISUALISATION OCCURS
THE SHEMONSTER WAKES
AND CONSUMES A BREAKFAST OF TRANQUILISERS
TO EASE THE PAIN OF THEIR EXISTENCE
BY 10:55AM, SHEMONSTERS ARE READY FOR THE DAYS HUNT
HUNT TO LIVE
This whole script is wonderfully considered. The creation of the Shemonster, intentionally bastardised from Sea Monster (perhaps a direct nod to the ocean, where so much of your footage was taken).
The inclusion of this Thor clip justifies my love of Marvel over DC to me. I need my hero’s to be funny.
ACT 3: MONSTER ON MONSTER VIOLENCE
Back to the abstract and sped up clip of you walking naked through a clearing to a mixed soundtrack carefully crafted. And interspersed with comedic clips to represent male arousal.
THE SHEMONSTER MAKES HER WAY TO THE KILLING FIELDS
THE LOCAL WILDLIFE SCATTER AS SHE APPROACHES
THE SHEMONSTERS BROTHER WOULD WATCH EVERY MORNING
WHAT THE FUCK? AGAIN? WHERE IS SHE GOING?
VISUAL POACHERS WOULD TRACK THE SHEMONSTER
DOCUMENTING ITS MIGRATORY PATTERN
I hear this spoken in Sir David Attenborogh’s voice.
PRESENT LOCATION
Very creative use of map. Very Monkey Island (if you get the reference).
EVEN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GOT INVOLVED
You and me baby, we ain’t nothing but mammals…
I WAS A SHEMONSTER BECAUSE I DISPENSED SEX
WITH A HEART OF ICE ICE BABY
A LINGUIST THAT SPECIALISED IN THE LANGUAGE
OF BURNT MORAL OFFERINGS
DAILY REPEATED SEXUAL EXPERIENCES
BOTH FLEETING AND INSUBSTANTIAL
AND ONCE THEY ESCAPED
THEY WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE
This verse drips with sexuality and hidden meaning.
WHAT IS DESIRE?
WHAT IS PLEASURE?
WOMEN ARE TAUGHT TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING
BUT THE THINGS WE SHOULD
We have, I think, all been slightly short-changed on the information front.
INNOCENT AND QUIET
ARE THE PREFERRED PRE-REQUISITES
FOR SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE
My worldview on the role of women in society, has evolved in the last few years. It has splintered and corrupted itself into a heaving mess of opinions that form a theory that goes something like this:
Women should no longer have to accept that marriage is the only stable option to raise families and secure future financial stability. This is the myth of the patriarch.
Women should have the right to terminate pregnancy at any stage until the child is born. Men have no rights to interfere with this decision.
Men who get women pregnant should automatically have to give up not just part of their wage, but part of their pension (by law) for both the Women, and child’s, support until the child becomes an adult, whereupon the support will continue only for the mother (to make up for her loss of pension during pregnancy/child maintenance). Proof of fatherhood only considered if there is reasonable doubt that the person is not the father and it is contested. If the woman would rather not involve the father, then this is her choice and she loses the right to claim.
Women’s role within child rearing is so socially important that they should not re-enter the workplace until the child enters school.
Women should never consider themselves the property of a husband, or vice versa; the husband as their property. The union will last only as long as they remain in love. As soon as the love dies for either or both, one should always move on within a reasonable time (given enough time to find somewhere else to live, whatever that would be). If there are children in the household it should be the man who moves away. If not, it should be the woman. Divorce should not be a thing. This should be a mutually understood progression of society to do this without shame or loss of dignity/social standing. This will be heartbreaking for those in unrequited love, particularly if they also find themselves homeless, but necessary for the wellbeing of both.
Women who remain childless should be paid (in employment) equal to their abilities and experience, nothing more nothing less, but in equality with the wages of a similarly educated and experienced man.
I realise this is a badly thought out manifesto. Full of contradictions and glaring problems. But at the heart it is a feminist plea for change.
BUT THE CIRCUS OF THE UNDERWORLD
COLLECTS OUTSIDERS
PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO
THE SOCIOPATH’S EXCEPTIONALISM
WHILE THE SOCIOPATH
IS INTOXICATED BY THE ADDICTION
TO MANIC FORBIDDEN INTERACTIONS
I read this as a slip into an auto-biographical concept; that you were considering yourself and your past. That may be unfair though. Sorry. It is a distraction given the fluttering and flickering accompanying imagery which scans like a music video.
BUTTERFLY TO THE BLOSSOM
MOTH TO THE FLAME
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
EACH HAS ITS PASSION
LIGHT ATTRACTS MOTHS
BUT WARMTH ATTRACTS PARASITES
SPACE AND ENERGY IS ALWAYS UNDER THREAT
UNLESS YOU THREATEN IT FIRST
CIRCULATING CLOSER AND CLOSER
TO THE DANGER
Beautiful imagery. The comparison of the threat of sexual violence compared with the instinct of the moth to go into the flame is sharply observed.
This is the bit where the imagery is of a couple. Let’s assume it is you and Max, but we cannot be sure; because, well we don’t know what Max looks like, and the woman is blurred by the fact that the image is not direct but taken of a monitor playing the video. A trick that allows the contrast to be amplified to the point that the couple (who go on to perform several sex acts) are basically shadows. And the film is sped up and run backwards and forwards at random times.
The result is erotic, but not overtly pornographic. I see what you are doing here.
IT IS AN INSTINCT THAT GOES BACK TO PREHISTORIC TIMES
BUT IT IS A MALE-CENTRIC QUALITY
I WOULD FLY INTO THE HEMONSTERS FLAME
AND MY SOUL WOULD GLADLY PERISH
THERE WAS NO FOREPLAY
AS I AM A CREATURE OF WHIM
I HAVE FOUND FROM EXPERIENCE THAT
IT IS OFTEN INTERESTING AND USEFUL
TO START FROM THE EDGES
AND WORK INWARD
I take from this that by ‘foreplay’ you mean a slow build up of sexual tension between a couple. The mating you allude to is more aggressive. Although oral sex could be seen as foreplay.
I ALWAYS APPROACHED DANGER DIRECTLY
I WOULD HAVE MADE A GREAT MOTH
AT TIMES WE GET TIRED
WE GET BORED OF ROUTINE
AND CRAVE EXCITEMENT
FIRE IS EXCITING
AND WHE KNOW IF WE GET TOO CLOSE
ICE BECOMES WATER
BUT WHAT DOES THAT MATTER
IT IS BETTER TO BE INTOXICATED
FOR A MOMENT
AND BE BURNED UP WITH EXCITEMENT
THAN TO LIVE A LONG EXISTENCE
AND BE BORED ALL THE WHILE
THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS FOR
This describes lust, wonderfully. The moan escaping the lips, the goosebumps and shiver of it all. The original footage would have gone with these words better, but made the film far too explicit I guess.
HUMAN BEINGS HAVE BECOME TOO CIVILISED
TO ENJOY SHAMEFUL ACTIVITY
I HAD FOUND SOMETHING
THAT I WANTED
AS MUCH AS THE MOTH
WANTS THE FLAME
FOR THIS REASON, I OFFERED MYSELF
NOT AS A MARTYR OR SOME SELFLESS FOOL
BUT AS A SELF-INDULGENT MOTH
WHO ACTIVELY PURSUES THE MOON
WITHOUT MUCH FEAR FOR THE FLAME
AND ICE MOTH WHO REVELS
IN THE HEAT OF DANGER
AND DECLARES
BURN ME
There are times when a hedonistic world of instant copulation and relief sounds wonderful. But in reality it would not be practical I fear.
The words you write sound like a confession of a freeuse commitment. The agreement by one party (usually a female submissive) to be available sexually to the male whenever he pleases. A practice that is sometimes played out for set periods of time between couples. It is generally not practical to carry this out 24/7 unless the couple have arranged a circumstance where it can be achieved, such as on holiday or over a weekend.
BETWEEN OUR BIRTH AND DEATH
THE BEST WE CAN EVER HOPE FOR
IS TO TOUCH SELF-AWARENESS
AND IF IT IS DONE PUBLICLY
IT CAN’T BE DIS-AVOWED
This. This is your manifesto; and you practice it. We can all witness that miracle.
BEING YOUNG IS LIKE BEING A MOTH
OR ALIVE
IF I AM LEARNING ANYTHING THESE DAYS
IT IS THAT THE FLAME YOU TOUCH WHEN YOUNG
YOU KEEP RIGHT ON TOUCHING WHEN YOU’RE OLDER
Yes. Yes you do. The same flame ignites, but hormones play a part in ensuring not all paths to sexual fulfilment are level.
Music video ends.
ACT 4: YOUTS
‘SO YOU GOT A BETTER SHOT OF THEM GOING IN
AND NOT SO MUCH COMING OUT?’
‘YOU COULD SAY THAT’
‘I DID SAY THAT. WOULD YOU SAY THAT?’
‘YEAH’
‘IS IT POSSIBLE THE TWO YOUTS–‘
‘UH. TWO WHAT?’
‘WHAT WAS THAT WORD?’
‘UH. WHAT WORD?
‘TWO WHAT?’
‘WHAT?’
‘DID YOU SAY YOUTS?’
‘YEAH. TWO YOUTS’
‘WHAT IS A YOUT?’
‘OH. EXCUSE ME. YOUR HONOR’
‘TWO YOUTHS’
We were all youts really. Some of us have grown up, but we don’t realise it until we look in the mirror. In our minds, we are the same.
We are back to the moth motif again.
MOST PEOPLE LOVE BUTTERFLIES AND HATE MOTHS
BUT MOTHS ARE MORE INTERESTING. MORE ENGAGING.
THEY’RE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE
THEY LIVE IN ALL KIND OF WAYS. JUST LIKE WE DO
THERE’S ONLY ONE MOTH THAT LIVES ONLY ON TEARS
IT IS THE DEATHS HEAD MOTH
THAT’S ALL THEY EAT OR DRINK
THE TEARS OF LARGE LAND MAMMALS, ABOUT OUR SIZE
- THOMAS HARRIS, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
I don’t recognise the quote; but it fits. And it feels truthful.
Here there is another poem said over the top of the words. Which is hard to follow. You need to watch the film twice.
PERHAPS THERE IS NOTHING TO BE SAID
NOTHING TO BE HEARD
PERHAPS WE ARE ALL DESTINED TO BE MOTHS TO THE FLAME
LOOKING FOR THAT NEXT FLAME TO THROW OURSELVES INTO
Music fades to soft electronic beats and we get silhouetted missy gap. Relevant music, nicely done Missy.
ALONE IN THIS BARREN ROOM
I SPEAK MY POEM TO THE NIGHT AIR
ENTERTAINING MOTHS BEFORE THEY GO OFF TO DIE
ENTOMOLOGICAL KEEPSAKES OF FLAWED THINKING
That is a rather depressing note; albeit beautifully written.
We are drawn to taboo. We are (well some of us are) drawn to lustful thoughts. We can do something about that, but mostly we choose not to.
CREDITS
The Stranger Things clip and ominous music suddenly make this a darker theme.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE PREPARED FOR WHAT’S NEXT IN LIFE
WHEN THE POSSIBILITY OF MISFORTUNE IS AT YOUR DOOR,
AND IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER IT KNOCKS OR NOT
No it simply walks in on you.
Slowed down growly voices. The Joker cry/laughing.
NOBODY WANTS TO THINK ABOUT THEIR MISTAKES
BECAUSE LIFE DOESN’T RUN LIKE A MOVIE
THERE’S NO CUTTING ROOM FLOOR, NO EDITING
NO OUT TAKES
OUR SCRIPTS READ AS THEY DO
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY
IT’S ABOUT SENDING A MESSAGE
IN HELL, EVERYTHING BURNS
And we go into Frank Sinatra territory;
AND AS FUNNY AS IT MAY SEEM
SOME PEOPLE GET THEIR KICKS
STOMPING ON A DREAM
BUT I DON’T LET IT GET ME DOWN
CAUSE THIS FINE OLD WORLD
IT KEEPS SPINNING AROUND
Your life appears to be full of love. Society is wrong and fucked up, and judgemental. But we (and by we, I mean those of us following your flightpath) would argue that your life is enviable nonetheless. It is all a matter of perspective I guess.
THE ACCUMULATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCAR TISSUE
GLOWS EVER SO PRETTY IN THE DARKNESS
That is so beautiful it could be a tagline for your projekt.
I really enjoyed this film. Yes it has meaning, but it is also so much more. This is classic Missy. This is an outstanding piece of video art. It gets my vote. If I had one.