Cool Short: Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer

Dirty Computer is the third studio album by Janelle Monáe (Moonlight, Hidden Figures).

The new album was also promoted with the simultaneous release of this 46-minute short film of the same name, dubbed an “emotion picture” by Monáe. It follows Monáe’s android character, Jane 57821, as she attempts to break free from the constraints of “a totalitarian society that forcibly makes Jane comply with its homophobic beliefs…In the film, Monáe’s character is trying to assert her individuality, which makes her the enemy of a soulless regime – a common tension in dystopian sci-fi.”

Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok, Creed) and Jayson Aaron co-star as Zen and Ché respectively, lovers with whom Jane escapes “the clutches of this repressive society.”