Charlotte Gainsbourg stars and directs her latest video, featuring Dev Hynes

Charlotte Gainsbourg has directed her latest video, Deadly Valentine starring herself and musician Dev Hynes, “portraying romantic rites of passage with a dark twist”.

The opening of the short displays the pair as their younger selves growing up together, as teenagers, then as themselves currently, and latterly as an older couple. Continuity and pace in the film is helped by the two changing characters always running, the female protagonist’s veil being a constant feature and the light sheen applied to the cinematography.

“Each video came from personal resonating ideas,” Charlotte explains. “This song mixes wedding vows with an offbeat tone. I wanted to express the idea of a lifetime engagement; a couple running to church, from childhood to old age, a lifetime path. I asked my friend Dev Hynes if he would play my partner and he very graciously agreed. It was fun finding our younger selves! For my part, I had all I needed at home (with their consent of course!). I nearly asked my mother, but in the end, didn’t dare…”

The video was released today (19 September) as part of an online and print takeover on Dazed & Confused. Charlotte’s album, Rest, is to be released on 17 November.