It’s been about three years since filmmaker Mike Mills released his last feature, “20th Century Women.” In the last 9 years, the director has only released one other film, 2010’s “Beginners.” Needless to say, film fans are waiting to find out when Mills plans on making something new. Well, we can’t really report on a new feature coming from the director anytime soon, but he does have a short film and a music video he’s working on, in collaboration with rock band The National and star Alicia Vikander. And so far, it looks pretty great.
READ MORE: Mike Mills’ ’20th Century Women’ Is Impressive, Moving & Heartbreaking [Review]
Just recently, The National released their latest single off the upcoming album, “I am Easy to Find,” due in May. The song, titled “Hairpin Turns,” is accompanied by a new music video helmed by Mills. The video isn’t anything revolutionary, but is still incredibly beautiful, showcasing the band and guest vocalists Gail Ann Dorsey, Mina Tindle, and Kate Stables, and puts the spotlight on dancer Sharon Eyal.
But “Hairpin Turns” isn’t the only recent video directed by Mills for The National. Earlier this month, the filmmaker released “Light Years,” which is similarly black and white, but features none other than Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander. That video seems to pull footage from the upcoming 24-minute short film that will be released in tandem with The National’s forthcoming album. But unlike Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” which featured the singer’s album providing the soundtrack to the images on the screen, the short film and the new album by The National are viewed more like siblings, each complimenting each other.
The band has said that the album isn’t the soundtrack for the film, and the film isn’t the long-form music video for the album. They are separate works, but sharing similar DNA.
All we know is that one of the better bands out there is teaming up with one of the better filmmakers and an Oscar-winning actress. So, we couldn’t be happier.
You can watch both music videos below. The album and short film will be released on May 17.