Romain Gavras is something like the last of the Mohicans of the music video, the epigone of that star system of filmmakers that flourished between the nineties and the beginning of the 21st century. After the hit of ‘Atenea’ (2022), everything pointed to Dua Lipa’s ex going to establish himself as a film director. The film opened wide the doors of the Anglo-Saxon industry, which promoted his next project, ‘Sacrifice’, with a luxury cast: Chris Evans, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charli XCX, Salma Hayek… However, the disastrous reception at last year’s Toronto festival has left its commercial distribution on hold for now.
Yung Lean also appeared in the cast of ‘Sacrifice’. The Swedish rapper is precisely the protagonist of ‘Storm’, Gavras’ second work for Gener8ion, the project of French producer Surkin, author, in turn, of the soundtrack of ‘Athena’.
As already happened in the video clip ‘Neo Surf’, ‘Storm’ is also set in 2034. This time, however, Gavras moves the action from Athens to a school in Leeds. Although it is set in the future, what it tells is timeless: the outrages of the typical high school bully in the throes of stalking fury, desire for protagonism and destructive self-affirmation. Like a John Cobra boarded at Hogwarts.
With an aesthetic that refers to the pioneering ‘If….’ (1968), the director shows his usual strength and visual nerve to film the frenetic action. But the most interesting thing about the clip is its ability to break the viewer’s expectations.
On the one hand, the morals. The spiral of bully violence in the video seems destined to be resolved with a cathartic ending, a conclusion where order is restored and poetic justice prevails. Let the bully get what he deserves, wow. But no: the first part ends in a kind of hooligan ritual with all the students dancing like at a Dagoba concert.
On the other, narrative expectations. The second part of the clip is even more surprising than the first: a three-minute sequence shot, sustained by an amazing choreography by Damien Jalet, choreographer of ‘Suspiria’ (2018) and ‘Emilia Pérez’ (2024), destined to be among the most memorable moments of the audiovisual of 2026.
