We Need to Talk About “The Melodic View”
“The Melodic Blue” is a visual accompaniment to Baby Keem’s 2021 Grammy-nominated album “Melodic Blue”. The 20-minute short film centers addiction, lust and personal vice set in an undisclosed location. Its cinematography is a gumbo of classic art-house, animation and VR imagery. The film grabs from African and Caribbean folklore about sirens and repurposes those stories to fit a modern audience. It’s written by pg Lang and directed by Savannah Setten, and executively produced by Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free.
We follow Jade, (Amandla Stenberg) the girlfriend of Baby Keem, on her quest to find the Melodic Blue: a place where “all human sensitivities are heightened” and “less feels like love.” Think ecstasy of the sea. She meets her friend River (Shakira Ja’nai Paye) at a local diner. River warns her about the dangers of this elusive place while sharing her personal experience of the power it had over her boyfriend. Jade’s curiosity stems from Baby Keem’s obsession with going there and his newfound neglect of her. We later learn the reason for his addictions and the stories behind them, with the takeaway being: what you’re made of can ultimately destroy you.
How a person handles trauma, disappointments and emptiness is both subjective and universal. What one human needs to feel better differs from the next. The only connecting thread of humanity is the desire for wholeness. “TMB” shows just how far someone can go to fill that void.
“The Melodic Blue” is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime. Check out the trailer here.