The Shoes: Time to Dance

Would this music video / short film (/ being an appropriate word) be as famous as it was without the presence of director's mate Jake Gyllenhaal? Probably not but to ignore the whole piece because Gyllenhaal's presence is part of its success is unfair too since perhaps there is something in here. The plot, such as it is, sees an upbeat catchy pop track from The Shoes played over scenes of the main character isolated, angry, alone and committing brutally violent murders with fencing swords, hammers and whatever else.

There isn't a great deal of content in here but visually it is well directed and memorable with quick edits, atmospheric shots and some quite unnerving moments along the way. The song is disposable but catchy and I did like the juxtaposition of that music with those acts and that character. Although he seems to be there for a favor, Gyllenhaal actually does a pretty good job and seems to have created a character inside his head as his violent moments and his quiet moments do all have something about them – he may be standing alone in the snow, but a lesser actor would have been doing just that physical action whereas his body and eyes suggest more, which I liked.

It is still a music video and probably doesn't deserve the attention that its star got it, but this doesn't mean that it isn't also stylishly done and well acted too.