Christina Aguilera

"Hurt"

Dir. Francis Sigismondi

The first thirty seconds of Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt,” in which black and white circus footage rolls over an ominous violin piece, may be the most disorienting thing a pop diva has done to video viewers since Britney’s spandex-in-space adventures of the late twentieth century. That is, of course, except for the remaining four minutes of the video.

“Hurt,” which centers around a circus performer’s mournful memories of her deceased father, frames Aguilera’s melodramatic piano ballad in a world that looks like a cross between Carnival and Moulin Rouge. While Xtina’s cringe-worthy acting makes the video difficult to watch with a straight face, her choice to eschew the sexy in favor of the vaguely historical is probably a good one in light of the song’s somber subject matter.

The video’s climax comes when Christina finally comes to terms with the permanence of her father’s departure. As the music swells, the quick-cutting montage depicting key scenes from her past accelerates to a breakneck pace and Christina belts out “there’s nothing I wouldn’t do / to have just one more chance / to look into your eyes / and see you looking back.” Then a bass-playing clown appears. It kind of deflates the moment.

Once you get past the WTF-factor, “Hurt” is actually fairly enjoyable. Director Francis Sigismondi, who also directed Aguilera’s “Fighter,” treats viewers to an array of visual riches ranging from live elephants to unicyclists to fedoras. While much of its content is hopelessly giggle-inducing, the video’s images are vibrant, colorful, and beautifully shot.

Videos like this remind us why pop divas usually leave the soul-baring to singer-songwriters. With no flashing lights and erotic whispering to distract us, we are forced to face the obvious truth that Christina & Co. are musically uninteresting and lyrically vapid. While you should feel free to enjoy “Hurt” for the circus, don’t expect to like the whole package unless you are a) deaf, b) a twelve-year-old boy, or c) both.