Olly Alexander’s dance to the death

Though highly awarded (winning a BAFTA, an Oscar and a Golden Globe) Pollack’s feature They Shoot Horses Don't They? was not an overly jolly watch. “If there was ever a film that completely captures the utter desperation and despair of poverty, it's this one,” wrote one critic. 

A masterful portrayal of Depression-era hopelessness, the film followed the tale of manipulative emcee who enlists desperate contestants for a gruelling, ultimately tragic, dance marathon offering a cash prize. 

This music video homage to the film, directed by Sophia Ray and produced by Partizan, puts a zesty spin on the cult classic, setting the dance-off in strange contemporary dystopian space. 

Always a magnetic screen presence, Alexander is an apprehensive contestant in an endurance dance marathon, where he has to sweat, pant, dive and dance his way to an exhausted victory. Regard, all the while, being a sinister driving force behind-the-scenes of this dark competition.

The brilliant choreography is by Meshach Henry.