We Cry Together (2022)

The one take, continuous-style cinematography of rapper Kendrick Lamar‘s (with Dave Free and Jake Schrier also directing) music video/short film We Cry Together follows a fighting couple (Lamar and Taylour Paige) around their apartment, not just rehashing all of their personal problems but a host of ongoing issues that plague the sexes. “This is what the world sounds like” Taylour is heard saying in the beginning of the album version, before the track goes on to show how people unload their trauma onto others as we try to connect. Lamar and Taylour eventually do connect, as in their beefing turns to boning by the end of the piece with Kendrick removing Taylour’s top before they both push down their pants and go at it doggy-style on the couch. Kendrick’s briefly exposed butt is a nice visual, as is the slow pan out to reveal that the apartment is just a set, and their dramatic confrontation, however identifiable, is artistically staged.