Fans were shocked by the release of the music video for South Korean singer IU’s latest single, “Love Wins All”. The video features V of BTS and has piqued the interest of both artists’ respective fanbases, Uaena and Army. Though the title might suggest a soft, sweet music video, what was actually released is not what you'd expect. Yes, there are sweet moments, but there's so much more to it than just that. Many fans have said the video could easily be extended into a movie, and it does indeed have a cinematic quality.
The video opens not with music, but with the sound of IU and V running and breathing heavily. The sound is sharp and foreboding against the otherwise quiet background. Right from the start, every tiny detail in “Love Wins All” serves to create a specific feeling. In this scene, it's urgency, tension, and fear. Both characters are in casual clothes which are tattered and dirty, their faces equally dirt-streaked and beat up. V’s right eye is clouded, implying his character is half-blind. The couple appears to be running from a gray cube in the sky. IU points out which way they should go and subtitles tell viewers what she is saying in sign language, implying that her character is either mute or deaf.
This part of the video shows muted gray scenes that match the feeling of fear and despair meant to permeate this part of the story. As IU begins singing, “Dearest darling, my universe,” in her sweet, angelic voice, the scene begins to warm up. The characters find a camcorder that seems to change reality around them. The scenes become warm with a golden hue, the scars disappearing from each artist’s face. As the beat picks up into the impactful chorus, the scenes get brighter and brighter. The old clothes are exchanged for wedding attire as the two are lost in their love for each other in this new ideal reality. IU sings, “Run away from the world, run on. Go to the end with me, my lover.”
When the cube returns, the wedding clothes stay, but they're now torn and dirty, and the scars are back, as well as V’s clouded eye and the muted color scheme from the beginning. Just before the climax, the music slows down and IU sings, “Destroy me slowly and chilly, ruiner. I want to get sad with you, my lover.” In a beautiful display of intense emotion, V attempts to destroy the cube. He fails, falling to the ground and immediately being held by his love. The two cling to each other as the cube glows red and looms closer. The couple’ feet are shown lifting from the ground, their clothes falling from the sky into a pile seen earlier, and then the video ends.
It's safe to assume that a large chunk of both fandoms let out a scream or groan of some sort when they got to the end. I'm convinced that even non-fans would find themselves devastated by the ending, so realistic is the acting and so intense the emotions. Everything from the facial expressions to the body language from both actors was on point throughout both the scenes of pure joy and those of painful desperation, making the song a true cinematic experience.
It might not seem like love really “wins all” in the video, but it actually does. Though they're surrounded by troubles, the love between the two characters allows them to forget their problems and create their own world, at least for a while. This is according to the lyrics, “Would you take me along/To a place I can't dream/With my poor imagination?” They can't hide forever, though. Inevitably the cube, representing life’s problems, will find them. Ultimately, they can't fight the problems; the cube kills them. This doesn't mean, however, that love doesn't win. They stayed together until the very end, keeping the wedding clothes from their fantasy even if everything else was falling apart. Love is powerful because it lasts forever, even beyond the life that it made worthwhile.
Both the music video and the song itself are beautifully dramatic, but in different ways. Though this video certainly isn't what I'd imagine by simply hearing the title or even after hearing just the love song on its own, somehow it fits perfectly once you've seen it. From the amazing acting to the intriguing symbolism showcased throughout the video, “Love Wins All” is truly a work of art. If this really were a movie, I'd definitely pay to see it in theaters!
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