The video follows a linear narrative of which portrays a pseudo-religious, Orwellian future world in which test subjects are being conditioned in a big brother-esque style, heavily focusing on ideology and indoctrination of said individuals.
From the beginning of the video visual binary oppositions are created between the aforementioned test subject and the sensory deprived cardinal type figure over voice, who acts as a type of spokesman for this type of control system the subject has found themselves in. For example, when we're first introduced to the subject it's from a high angle shot taken through a wire fence, with the subject curled up on the floor with little to no coverage of his body - occupying a third of the screen. The use of the fence, as well as the subject left with only the floor to sleep on seems to dehumanise the individual as it portrays them more like an animal - something of which is experimented on and observed.
Whereas the cardinal type character is filmed from behind where he is occupying the centre of the shot, as well as being seated on a chair, both of which seem to immediately put him at a higher status that the test subject. This is further reinforced by the fact that the Cardinal type character is fully clothed, surrounded by a rich red curtain and is seen indulging in a cigarette - posing an almost mocking tone as the test subject is seemingly allowed no such indulgences. Similarly, the idea of this character being fully clothed, sat behind a curtain with a mask to his side is a great contrast to the subject who is left unwillingly exposed - possibly showing that the cardinal figure has more power and also creates a sense of anonymity. This shows them as the dominant party in this dystopian society, compared to the test subject who is portrayed as more vulnerable and worn down. By having this use of binary opposition at the beginning of the video -and maintaining a constant conflict throughout the video- helps to build up and drive the narrative, as suggested by Claude Levis Strauss.
In the 'performance shots', the use of editing has created visuals of which reflect a news-style/broadcasted confession booth. This creates a conceptual conflict as the lyrics reflected through the performance are going against the aims of the cardinal type character to condition test subjects into an adoption and internalisation of their religious beliefs and values. The opposition is evident through the editing of the 'performance' shots whereby the words 'Subject <XII>' and 'Purge' are placed around the image. The use of the text 'Subject <XII>' being written at the top of the shot helps the audience to identify the performer as of the same ilk as the test subject, whose shown to have 'XI0' inscribed on his inner forearm. By taking away the subjects names and replacing them with numbers helps to create a sense of deindividuation as well as reinforcing their dehumanisation.
The use of the word 'purge' is significant paired with the image and words of the performer as a purge is the removal of people who are considered undesirable by those in power from a government, other organisation, or from society as a whole. As previously mentioned, the lyrics -and subsequently the performer- are speaking out against the religious dictatorship the cardinal wishes to impose, thus creating further opposition to drive the narrative forward.
These performance shots are later paralleled by shots of the sensory deprived cardinal type character, where statements such as 'Submission is power' and 'Ignorance is unity' are plastered across the bottom of the shot in a similar fashion, with the red tint added in post-production suggesting a sense of evil and malice to the character, making him seem more menacing. This shows the overpowering force of the figurehead for this dominant religious -and possibly political- ideology, through these propaganda-like images.
The alteration of colour in the edit is utilised to create further opposition as in the shots of the overbearing cardinal type character there are more vivid, solid colours such as red and black featured. Whereas the shots of the test subject feature more washed down, cold steely tones of blue, which present the character isolation and alienation. This creates a visual sense of binary opposition of which accompanies the conceptual conflict by these two opposing sides.
The overpowering control of the cardinal type character's grave contrast to the seemingly helpless test subject is highlighted through the subtle references to lobotomy and mind control through having the dominating character bark orders down screens and chips implanted in the subject's brain. This also links back to the idea of religious and political power through the use of propaganda, and subsequently the control such symbols would have over their subjects. The literal portrayal of this psychological control being presented makes it easier for audiences to understand the narrative of the music video. As previously mentioned, the lyrics create a contrasting image to that of the dominant ideology being portrayed, for example near the end of the track there are the lines of the lyrics: 'Sun of God, sun in the sky. If you could speak, I'm sure you'd say: "There' more to me than meets the eye."' This could be in reference to the fact that in early civilisation - or even in more isolated contemporary civilisations- people worshipped the sun and stars as a great power, with the sun seen as a giver of life rather than any deity.
This could be seen as an open text as there is a fair amount of ambiguity within it that enables the audience to access different interpretations and create their own meaning from the material produced (Barthes' codes). In regards to narrative it is left fairly open as it is left to the audience to decide how and why the test subject is there, as well as the fact that -despite the text having an initial message- the anonymity of the dominant figure could enable different audiences to read it different ways, with the characters symbolising a range of different themes and ideologies for different people reading the text, as suggested by Stuart Hall's Encoding/Decoding model of the relationship between text and audience.
In regards to the cardinal type character, there is a similarity of aesthetics to The Pale Man from Del Toro's 2006 'Pan's Labyrinth' - the intertextual link of which helps to add an eerie, nightmarish feel to the character; reinforcing the dystopian future world created through such character's imposing, oppressive authoritarian ideologies and ethos.
