Sound and Vision: Sean Durkin
In the new article series Sound and Vision, we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week, we look at Sharon Van Etten's Your Love Is Killing Me, directed by Sean Durkin.
Sean Durkin, whose new wrestling drama The Iron Claw is now showing in cinema's, is a very effective actor's director. He often stays out of the way of his actors, mostly using cinematography and editing to heighten what the actors bring to the table. There is a heightened sense of reality to his films, but when push comes to shove, you can describe his sense of style as "realism".
But because there is this use of camera work to heighten the actors' performance further, you get a use of close ups that feels deliberately claustrophobic. Films like Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest play almost like psychological horror movies instead of just very tense dramas.
His sole music video is similar. The video for Sharon van Etten's Your Love is Killing Me has just a few takes, many of which stay pretty close to the face of actress Carla Juri, stumbling across a big city from bar to bar with a focused intensity. It makes you feel like she will either burn something down or drown in her own sorrow. Is she sad, is she angry, is she mad? She is everything and nothing in this performance.
The heightened realism also shows up in a stunningly distracting effect, where ambient noises and conversations from the bar override the music of Sharon van Etten. It shows a refreshing lack of pride from the artist, who realizes that this effect will draw you into Juri's world more than the music alone could've. It makes this music video almost play like a short. A very effective and emotional one, at that.
On paper Sean Durkin's choices are simple and realistic. But the push and pull between music and performance, and the extremity with how Durkin delivers those choices show you what a fine and daring director he really is. I can't wait to see The Iron Claw, and how he will push the performances of his actors this time.
