The Fray
“How to Save a Life”
Dir. Mark Pellington

Take three minutes of “The Blair Witch Project,” change the soundtrack to a catchy but repetitive pop song, and you’ve got something that resembles the Fray’s new video for “How to Save a Life.” The video, which seems to be about the death of the lead singer’s friend whom he wishes he could have saved, would be genuinely emotional if not for its overwhelmingly flat aesthetics. The dull tones of the suburban setting, the harsh industrial lighting, and the astoundingly homely cast effectively make the video dark and disturbing rather than moving.

The video’s focus is a car headlight that shines through the woods encountering people in distress, but the search seems more like a deer hunt than a rescue. “How to Save a Life” suggests that the video will provide a tutorial in rescues; in reality, the title is blatantly misleading because no one is saved. In fact, people are dying all over the place. The lead singer, rather than doing any life-saving, just sits at his piano lamenting his inactivity. “How to Lose a Life” would be more appropriate.

Time is distorted throughout the video in a vain attempt to imbue lame visuals with significance. An awkward couple hooks up on a couch and a droplet of water falls from a faucet first forward and then backward. This convoluted series of events is intended to signify the singer’s retrospection, but instead just comes off as confusing.

The stark contrast of bright spotlights and dark shadows makes it difficult to see any of the artists’ faces. The already boring act of watching the musicians play is even more boring than it should be because all you have to look at is the shadow of their figures.

Listening to “How to Save a Life” makes me envision sexy rock-stars passionately professing their willingness to catch me when I fall while strumming the guitar and playing the piano.

Watching the music video is entirely disillusioning. The song used to make me feel warm and fuzzy—now I’m just creeped out.