Watch a preview of Flying Lotus’ directorial debut ‘Royal’
This weekend, the beat-music staple Flying Lotus will make his directorial debut at the Sundance Next Fest at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Lotus’ aesthetic has always been heavily cinematic. His many videos and live installations, particularly with director Kahlil Joseph, are some of the best in modern music. But now with his short “Royal,” he steps behind the camera for the first time.
The event’s lineup features a bevy of concerts and films for music fans (Nick Jonas in the frat-horror film “Goat” might be a head-turner). But Lotus’ debut could prove to be one of the most hair-raising experiences of the festival.
A new preview of “Royal” (where he’s billed as “Steve”; his given name is Steven Ellison) suggests he wasn’t kidding when he said it’s “definitely not for the kiddies.”
Lotus described “Royal” as a love story, and there’s certainly a kind of visceral physical intimacy here — gooey tongues and sweaty pores abound (as the trailer reveals).
But the music is full of harrowing, atonal noises, and the mood appears to be closer to Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” than any traditional romance. We can’t wait to see how this plays out for any aspirant date nights at Next Fest.
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