“I’m gonna teach you how to be cowboys,” groans John Wayne amidst a hazy Garden Of Eden. He’s talking directly into the faces of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Jesus. Oh, Adam and Eve are also there. This off-the-wall backdrop paints only the first few seconds of Lana Del Rey’s “short film” Tropico, which was released Thursday on Vevo.
Tropico follows Del Rey and her boyfriend (played by model Shaun Ross) as they time travel from the original Garden to a modern day trailer park-glam dystopia in The City of Angels. A fitting trio of songs from Del Rey’s album Born to Die guest star throughout: “Body Electric,” “Gods and Monsters,” and “Bel Air.”
The film—written by Del Rey and directed by Anthony Mandler—premiered last Thursday in L.A. At the screening, Del Rey revealed that her next album would be called Ultra-Violence (A Clockwork Orange, anyone?) but a release date is still unknown.
Gods, monsters, strippers, violence, beauty…Del Rey’s 27-minute fall from grace dons it all. The film’s most stunning scene is certainly the last. Cue “Bel Air.” The song fills the golden fields of the Hollywood Hills, as she coos the question “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s okay to shine?”
Basically, Tropico is totally in-your-face and over the top yet Del Rey still remains as elusive as ever. And whether her hodgepodge mystique is one you love or one you loathe, the film’s worth a watch.
