SIAMÉS 'My Way' [Official Animated Music Video]

English & Spanish subtitles are available at CC
Subtitulos en Español e Inglés disponibles activando CC
Directed & Animated by RUDO Co.
Direction & Art: Jesica Bianchi

Creative Direction & Script: Jesica Bianchi / Pablo Roldan
Animation Direction: Juan Pedro Ramos
Head of Production: Ailin Estrella

SONG CREDITS:
Lyrics & Music by Piano Bläkk / Barbie Williams
Produced by SIAMÉS

Recording Musicians:
· Barbie Williams: Lead & Backing Vocals
· Piano Bläkk: Synths, Samplers & Drum Programming
· Mariano Lanus: Electric Bass
· Gonzo Rooster: Electric Guitars
· Guillermo Porro: Extra Synths, Percussions & Programming
· Daiana Azar: Acoustic Drums

Technical Information:
· Vocal Takes Recorded by Alejandro Ortiz at Barcelona
· Vocal Production by Bläkk
· Bass, Synths & E. Guitars takes, recorded by Bläkk
· Mixing & Additional Recordings by G. Porro
· Mastering by Diego "Warrior" Crisálida

➤ SIAMÉS SOCIAL MEDIA:

[Spacehums]

An excellent reminder to find your own rhythm in life - no one else is going to find that rhythm for you.

[counter_coffee]

After watching it a couple times, my takeaway of the meaning is that cutting off toxic friendships can be healthy for you, but don't hurt your good friends in the process.
Take the good friends, cut out the bad ones, and build yourself a new, better circle.
Great song!

[MeganRose]

I've been a fan of SIAMÉS for years now, and they continue to prove themselves quite capable and likable! This video gives off Princess Mononoke vibes, and the music reminds me that our pain is not forever, we can choose to be reborn after conflict and strife takes it's toll on us.

[mastermostfa]

Great message for kids and people still growing mentally. Learn to live life the way you find it most comfortable and rewarding. There is no need to be like other people or share the people around you's interest or habits or force yourself to like them.
My personal advice too is to keep exploring new habits and hobbies to get experience and know what really is your preferred way of living your life ( don't just do whatever you found others doing, explore more into yourself)

[ponyforhire]

The adversary and pain in life is not permanent, but once one can rebuild themselves they are fortified to walk their own way forward.

[WhimsyCottage]

Don't get obsessed by shiny necklaces and do not let the fae trick you into a midnight forest picnick

[miracleworker]

Idk how everyone is missing the Cult of Diana connections omg. The alter with the pomegranate and strawberry and berries offering, the literal statue of Diana. The inverse of Diana being hunted and instead the girls doing the hunting. There’s so much symbology packed into this video music, great job!

[AmiAmi-lilj]

Princess Mononoke vibes, oh my, THE FOREST KING!

I absolutely love it.

[znichka]

Can't wait for the theorists to analyze every single frame lololol
Wonderful as always, as expected of RUDO! I really like the mix of gentle color palette and sophisticated imagery with the motives of hunt and violence ✧
Thank you, SIAMES and RUDO!! <3

[fffffplayer]

I won't pretend I understand what is going on fully, but here are some interesting things I caught:
The protagonist is a new initiate to whatever group the blonde and the braided girl make up of/are part of. The other two girls, though, don't seem to be initiated since they don't have the characteristic makeup or nail polish and appear to be wearing more casual/less fashionable clothing.
Instead, they seem to be intended as the prey for the hunt from the beginning. Since they appear friendly towards the other characters (and actually cheerful rather than the ominous emotionless expressions of the other girls), they're probably friends with the other girls, likely they could be the old friends of the protagonist before she got into the new group.
Pay attention to rings and nail polish colour. The blonde girl has two rings, one in each hand, the protagonist has a single ring on her index finger. Protag has lilac nails, blonde has yellow and braided girl has blue. You can use these to figure out whose hands are whose.
I'm not sure if it's an art error or intentional, but when we see the protagonist slash the white-yellow-shirt girl, she strikes at her left, but then we see her body wounded at the right. Also, in the strike shot, he shirt appears blue, so that was confusing for me, but the yellow parts are distinctly there.
There seems to be some symbolism to eyes, possibly related to the cult, and we see at some point the protagonist retrieving her dagger from a carving of an eye, possibly hinting she was from the start going to go against the cult.
The photos at the end are not photos of the dead girls, but of the previous leaders. There's one of the blond girl and one of a long-hair girl that's not similar to any of the characters we've seen. There's also a shady figure one. All three have the locket though.
There seems to be some meaning to the sheer shirts being worn by various girls. The protagonist has one, the blond girl has one, and the new girl at the end has one.

Edit: Also, if anyone is wondering when the protagonist got the dagger from the braided girl like I was, you can see at 2:51 there were actually two daggers, so she had her own all along.

To try to get a conclusion out of this, and working on top of what counter_coffee already pointed out: I think the surface story is about some sort of high school murder cult, wherein initiates hunt other girls upon initiation. But the allegory below that seems to speak about the protagonist joining a circle of "cool girls" and the trouble that brings. Her old friends while cheerful and apparently welcome at first are eventually scared by the new friend.
In the process, the old friends are hurt by the new and even the protagonist herself hurts them and drives them away. In the end, the protagonist listens to the doubts she's always had (lyrics seems to indicate some frustration towards the cool girls' advice and _their_ way; we also see instances through the clip where she's not completely bought into the whole thing) and turns on the leader of her new friend group. The other friend, who is probably more of a follower, lashes out at her at first, but when she witnesses the inner strength the now confident protagonist exudes, she changes her mind and is able to redeem herself as well. The two stay together and they can experience rebirth as they can expand their now healthier friend group with new people.

That is of course if we don't use a cyclical reading of the story, wherein the protagonist replaces the blond girl, the new girl at the end becomes the new initiate and the whole story repeats.

As for the animals showing up throughout. Other than strengthening the hunt metaphor, I have no idea what they're supposed to be about.

[kristianskiy_ch]

For me, this video is about how your old wounds bring you pain, and you need to finally let them go, but at the same time, remember them and, in a way, pay tribute for the experience they brought you.

[Jnihil]

This is such an amazing video, it has deep and rich themes. A lot of people mention Ghibli/Mononoke vibes, which I think is close - but it misses the obvious Artemis references. It isn't coincidental that all the characters are girls, after all Artemis was a virgin and appreciated feminine beauty. It's also why the central conflict is a ritualistic hunt, because the goddess of the Moon is the goddess of the hunt. And just like the Moon has its phases of death and rebirth, these girls experience it through ritual too.

[elsoul]

Wow, i didnt expect THIS kind of story from the lyrics. That was incredible

[joshuaobregon]

Siempre me han encantado muchas de sus canciones, no olvidó cuando escuché "wolf" por primera vez seguí y luego cuando salió "no lullaby" me quedé con sus canciones

[sodapop]

Having watched through this multiple times, I think what I get from this is a message to always listen to yourself above all else. Don't blindly follow the orders and will of someone who says they have your best interest but ends up only wishing to mold you into the version of yourself THEY want to see. It can lead to turning into a person you don't recognize anymore, putting you in a situation where you end up hurting the ones around you until you cut yourself off from the source, though you're still in danger of continuing the cycle afterward unless someone (or yourself) puts a stop to it. But also being able to recognize that, deal with all the pain and difficulties and move on with those who truly cared about you.

[DagobahResident]

I am now even more convinced that RUDO Co desperately needs to be hired on to animate a segment for Love, Death, and Robots

[ApolloLP]

Since the band lost its original lead singer, I was a bit worried about the progression of the band from here on out. But I think this song really proves that the style and the uniqueness of SIAMES is being preserved even without the original lead vocalist. Great work overall

[Sami-hsjq]

A new Siamés animated music video, me be happy, me be grateful

[Leunenkoenig]

The nails are some interesting identifying cues:
Bob (I'm just going to call some of the characters by their hair) starts with unpainted nails. Pig-tails has violet nails throughout the video. Blondie has red nails.
During the initial grooming, PT injures Bob, who goes on to also have violet nail polish for the rest of the story.
Next up, we see scenes from the future:
- Right after the kill, with Bob wearing one blue earring
- PT grabbing Bob's hand as she reaches for the medallion
- PT painting Bob's nails again, (Bob has a snake ring on her left index)
- Bob getting stabbed in the arm

Back in the present, Bob refuses further grooming by PT, as their future prey arrives. Their appearance is in stark contrast to the meticulous getup of the coven.
During the picnic, there's a peculiar moment of Blondie sharing the wine with the outsiders. This is followed not only by the realization, that they are the main course, but also a shot of the blue earring Bob is supposedly going to wear in the future. The girl, notedly, is wearing only a single earring.
The hunt begins and PT catches her prey before we get a flashback of Bob spying on Blondie during the preparations. She goes on to follow her prey, though you see a certain half-heartedness in her.
The next shot is quite weird again, like an out-of-frame movie recording. There's a flash of eyes in the mirror, although it passes quickly.
Next up is a flashback of Bob eyeing the blue earring during the picnic. She goes on to kill her prey with her hand - or to be precise, her manicured "talons". PT butchering the other girl.
Flashback of Bob picking up the knife on her dresser. Bob has little regard for the dead girl, from whose blood lotuses bloom - a symbol of purity, for what it's worth. The shot of her victim is noteworthy in that it cuts off right below the ear, so you can't see if she has the earring. She leaves and is seen by PT.
The "confrontation" happens but before she meets Blondie, we get a shot of Bob's victim - who still has the earring. Bob refused the trophy. PT's victim, on the other hand, has had the golden loop earring ripped from her ear.
Bob extends her arms as if to embrace, hiding the as-of-yet-unused dagger in her hand. Flashes of cryptic images (you can use, and . on the keyboard to go frame by frame):
- Blondie bleeding from the back in front of the two-headed deer
- Bob, with one hand severed, petting the doe drinking blood spilled by the blade
- PT, with the buck next to her, reaching for the tainted blade in front of an image of the two-headed deer being separated again

Bob goes on to stab Blondie in the back who in turn dissolves into a fray of hair. It looks, for a moment, like PT understands that she has chosen victory over lesser prey.
Bob reaches for the medallion, her trophy, as buck and doe entwine. The incense on her dresser has burned out and the flower in her mirror blooms.
PT severs Bob's hand as she reaches for the medallion. Magic stuff happens, the buckdoe twists, and it seems like the buckdoe spirit enters her stump through the magic. A scar remains, but the hand is remade. In the background, we see a wisened buck with larger antlers. PT, witness to all that, presents Bob with the medallion - her rightful prize - over the weird blue flower I don't recognize.

Bob and PT light incense at the dresser and we finally see the picture on the dresser was the previous owner of the medallion before Blondie. In the corner of the frame, a photo of the owner before that. Now, a new frame graces the dresser: Blondie. We can also see that they went back to the blue earring and took it still. "Waste not, want not", I guess. There's also a purple bug earring, which I'm fairly sure I saw in a previous music video.
A blonde girl, wearing a choker like Blondie and a see-through blouse like both Blondie and Bob, is ringing at the same door Bob stood in front of at the beginning of the story, followed by the title card "Rebirth", indicating her to be the part in the circle.

[ThePowerfulIronclad]

Desde el concierto de Barcelona no puedo parar de escucharlos. Aguante Siames!