After scanning some of the comments, it seems that the video is a Rorchach. My take on the lake scene is that David looks at the other guy approaching the girl that David is captivated with, and he sees the other guy as everything he is not -- confident and able to easily engage this girl. I saw a world of emotion in David’s look as he turned away with that sick, falling feeling in the gut, the chill in the heart of the shy, sensitive introvert who doesn’t know how to approach what he most wants.

It struck me that David knows that experience in his core and has been there at least once. I suppose I’m just reading myself into it. Yes, a Rorchach.

Sounds like you were offended by my reference to David wearing Peace T-Shirts. (not sure why)

I’d like to think that David is encouraging the following: (dictionary.com definition #3)
“a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, esp. in personal relations: Try to live in peace with your neighbors.”

But, that’s just me.

Peace.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/fdanf7

Still reading the posts, but i wanted to help out any who need this. It’s huge 31MB but worth the effort.

That’s the nature of subtext, after all. Kind of like a ghost.

Poor guy, all alone, not feeling invited to “play any of their reindeer games” and all that.

But, yes, his music gains him social entrance. I did like that aspect of the video: the way David’s musicality is the highlight. Still loving the piano on the deck scene. Rather surreal, even though it’s not high art or anything.

One thing I will also add is that most of the discussion on the gay blogs concludes that there is no gay subtext here at all. I happen agree with this, even if I also think that some inherent ambiguity--intended or not--is a good thing.

I read the swimming scene in other ways as well. David’s character turns away from the scene of the the group cavorting and having fun. He is left out of the overt sexuality in a way, not just of the flirty play with Hagood herself, but of sexual play and experimentation in general. The longing look before he turns away, to me, is more of wistfulness, rather than lust, that he cannot participate in that forum. Then there is a close up of him with the group in the background, and it becomes even more clear how alone in his feelings he is at that moment. To me this is the subtext that adds so much depth to the video. It is about being lonely and vulnerable, and wanting to participate, but being excluded. About lack of confidence, and needing to find your own authenticate way of navigating this time in a young person’s life. And how does the David character do it, through music ofcourse.

I find less overt sexual messages in the post-it game rather interesting. I find it rather interesting that his note said “Brad Pitt” when much has been made of Brad’s sexuality in private, but in movies, his persona his is overtly heterosexual. It is also interesting that he is in a relationship with a woman who is reported to be bi-sexual. Does this post-it reveal anything about the characters desires and wishes to be strong and macho, and overtly sexual, or is it something else?

rascal, you are kind of contradicting yourself a little. You acknowledge that there is a subtlety and nuance and rich symbols of human experience that trumps alot of High Art pieces in the video, but then you dismiss it as not being art because it is commercial design.

I mean we could debate what is art and I could go into the history of art and say that all art has a commercial driving force, but I think that we really do agree. There is alot of completely commercial videos in the world that fall short of being art, but I think that we might be able to agree that the Crush video with it’s complex themes and depth would qualify as “Art” despite it’s origins.