The English minor in me was screaming when Harry Styles released his new music video to his hit single “Aperture.” I don’t even think music video is the correct term; it was particularly filmed as though the director had a short film in mind while creating this story. There are echoing themes of self-perception, vulnerability, strangers, and metaphors surrounding the actual title of the song, which references light in camera lenses.
To start the video, Harry orders room service to room 605, which is known as
a sign of significant life changes and positive transformations in the realm of spiritual numerology. Being that this song is his return to music after a four-year hiatus, this double meaning begins his new era on a good path. The phone then begins to ring as he is put on hold, which then echoes into the start of the song with its unusual beat.
Skipping ahead to around 2:00 of the video, Harry is being followed by a man. It appears Harry is choosing his path wisely as he tries to escape the presence of this strange man, but eventually the man ends up facing Harry, then races towards him as the beat of the song drops. This moment was intense and sparked out of nowhere. Could this be someone trying to hurt him, or warn him, or just a strange man trying to attack him? The video then transitions to Harry and the man falling down several flights of stairs, symbolizing ultimate defeat. This puts Harry and the man on the same level as equals, as they fall down the stairs together.
Towards the climax of the music video, their fight shifts into a complete dance floor. What first caught me off guard quickly changed when I figured out that this isn’t actually happening. Harry is still waiting in his room or at the front desk for his room service. They imitate “Dirty Dancing” with a crazy over-the-head life, they do multiple back flips, and perform odd dance moves in sync. So yes, at this point, I knew this couldn’t be real. And once their dance scene is over, Harry returns to the escalator where the man first started following him and carries on as if nothing happened.
So, did that actually happen? In my head, no. I think the character Harry plays in this video is very lonely. He’s staying in a hotel by himself, notices another man in the lobby, and fantasizes about this entire huge scene due to his boredom and overall loneliness. My analysis of this video could definitely be argued. Some say this all happened, some say this is all a dream Harry has before he leaves the hotel room, and some just support Harry in his unique choice of creating this story.