An emotion picture
Dirty Computer is Short Film that serves as the visual companion to the album of the same name. It was released on April 27, 2018 alongside its parent album.Monáe dubbed the film an “emotion picture” which she defines as a narrative film and accompanying musical album.
Cast
- Janelle Monáe as Jane 57821
- Tessa Thompson as Maryapple #53 / Zen
Tropes found in Dirty Computer''
- Anachronic Order: The film does not follow the album’s tracklist order.
- Brainwashed: This is what happened to Zen before she meets Jane in the beginning.
Bonus Material: The “Pynk” chapter of the movie gives the song an additional verse that is missing from the album version.- Closet Key: Jane serves as this for Zen’s memory.
- Color Motif:
- Pink: Pink is not only associated with women and femininity but LGBT+ people as well. Fitting since the film is pretty queer.
- Purple, pink, and blue shows up together in many scenes in the film.
- Creator Cross References: Jane shares the same serial number as Cindi from Janelle’s Metropolis saga explored on her first three releases.
- Death of Personality: Zen becomes Maryapple #53 after her memory wipe.
- Lovable Rogue: Jane and her friends are these.
- The Power of Love: That’s how Zen got her memory back.
- Punk in the Trunk: Jane’s friends hid in the trunk of her car to hide from the police robot.
- You Are Number 6: Maryapple is the fifty-third of her kind.
