The pair in the Pynk video | Photo: YouTube/Janelle Monae
Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson have been making all sorts of waves over the last few weeks.
Monáe is getting ready to release her third studio album, Dirty Computer. She’s released several songs and music videos from the album so far, celebrating bisexuality and women.
Thompson appears in more than one, often accompanied by queer subtext between her and Monáe.
Well, now it gets better.
Along with the album, Dirty Computer will also feature a 50-minute film (or, in the words of Monáe, an ’emotion picture’) and yup, you guessed it, it stars Monáe and Thompson.
Here’s the official synopsis:
It’s the story of a young woman named Jane 57821 (Monáe), who is living in a totalitarian near-future society where citizens are referred to as ‘computers.’ … Dirty Computer explores humanity and what truly happens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when mind and machines merge, and when the government chooses fear over freedom.
The pair will play a pair of star-crossed lovers in the film.
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‘I hope they feel love’
In a New York Times profile, Jenna Wortham asks Monáe about the speculation on her relationship with Thompson.
‘Watching her as she decided on a response was like watching a mathematician working out Fermat’s Last Theorem,’ Wortham writes.
‘Gears were churning; calculations were being made. Finally, she laughed, raised her eyebrows and deflected: “I hope people feel celebrated. I hope they feel love. I hope they feel seen.” It was late into the evening, and I was conscious of how long we’d been talking — at least two hours — and let it drop. But the issue lingered for me, especially the more times I watched her film.’
Dirty Computer premieres on MTV and BET on 26 April. The album’s release is one day later, Friday, 27 April.
