Can we just work it out? Spike Jonze’s short choreographic storytelling in Arcade Fire’s ‘Afterlife’ (2013)

Abstract

From his early days as an indie auteur to his more recent mainstream success as an Oscar-winning film director, Spike Jonze has been a pioneer of dance storytelling. In particular, Jonze’s experimentation with dance and the format of live music video, such as Arcade Fire’s ‘Afterlife’ filmed at the 2013 YouTube Music Awards, distinguishes him as screendance artist with an elevated sense of movement and flow. This article examines the director’s mastery of short-form choreographic storytelling in ‘Afterlife’, for how he ingeniously employs dance as both a narrative vehicle and a stylistic tool to bridge the mundane and the magical.