Sigur Rós “Fjögur Píanó” (dir. Alma Har’el) [NSFW]

“Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!” Wise words from a wise man, which are undoubtedly suitable in the case of the video for Sigur Rós‘ “Fjögur Píanó” (which was briefly mentioned the other day in passing, for what it’s worth). For Shia LaBoeuf (who, not surprisingly, was actually in Dumb and Dumber‘s regrettable sequel) the video is a chance to step outside of the cash crop he’s stumbled onto with the Transformers franchise (though, from what I hear, the series is only marginally better than When Harry Met Lloyd) and assume a role that was genuinely hard to see coming: that of a bearded interpretive dancer (an occasionally nude bearded interpretive dancer, no less!). “Man,” as he’s known in the video, is taken on a spiritual rollercoaster with “Woman” as guided by “Forces” before the conclusion eventually comes to suggest how the cyclical nature of their reality has crafted their relationship. Ah yes, redemption.

Alma Har’el, who directed this melancholic delight, was also behind the comparatively upbeat (though no less dance-infused) visuals for Beirut’s “Elephant Gun” roughly half a decade ago. (A video that Taylor called one of 2007′s best, by the way.)