all i want - kodaline
The music video for Kodaline's 'All I Want' which was released on their first studio album 'In a Perfect World' looks at prejudice, and how many people will judge someone by their looks before getting to know who they really are. The protagonist for this video was born with a face different to most other humans. We follow the story of his daily life, and see how he is a human, and despite his different appearance, he is just misunderstood and is in fact more compassionate and selfless than most other "ordinary" people.
The video is set in an office where it looks into the stereotype of 'judging a book by it's cover.' We immediately feel sympathy towards the protagonist, as he is minding his own business when a young females screams at his appearance, thinking that he is wearing an ugly mask. The audience are made to feel sympathy towards the character throughout the video, which gives them a better relationship with the character and when an event happens, whether good or bad, the audience feel more emotionally connected to the situation.
Although not a key topic featured in the video, the protagonist has a pet dog who he as a really good relationship with. It shows that animals are all loving of their owners, and do not judge by appearance, but instead how loving they are. This is a concept humans have not yet discovered, as humans seldom look past looks to see what is underneath. This makes the audience consider how shallow others and perhaps they themselves can be, and the video therefore has an impact and will make the audience asses their own actions.
Another topic explored in the 'All I Want' video is gender. In the video males are portrayed as cruel and selfish. The men in the office are seen as antagonists, as they are constantly bullying the protagonist and going out of their way to punish him. We see them as selfish and disgusting when they are inappropriate towards the female character. The protagonist is seen as a hero when he saves the female character from the men trying to hurt her. From here, we see the female gender being portrayed as compassionate and kind, as she becomes friendly with the protagonist and looks past his appearance.
The story begins to look at the idea of 'Beauty and the Beast,' and how a beautiful woman can learn to love someone who is perceived as a monster. We see throughout the video that the protagonist is isolated and lonely, and we realise that he is just like us; he is seen in his home cooking and playing on the Wii, and we later see him running and playing with his dog. The woman begins to see this, and she lets him walk her home, and the video ends with him giving him her number. We see the female as considerate and loving, and the future of the couple is left to the interpretation of the audience.