If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021)

Directed by

Colin Tilley

Genre

music, fantasy

Country

United States

Runtime

53 min

Rated

R

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 41 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In a historical fantasy setting, a young pregnant queen and her look-alike named Lilith navigate motherhood and danger. The film is a visual companion to Halsey's album of the same name.

dramaticdarkfantasticaltensegothicdreamlikesombervisually lush

What happens

If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is a 2021 American period fantasy horror film directed by Colin Tilley and produced by Jamee Ranta. Serving as a visual companion to American singer-songwriter Halsey's fourth studio album of the same name, the film stars herself in the lead in dual roles as Queen Lila, a young pregnant queen and Lilith, her look-alike. She was also credited as the writer of the film. Also starring in the film are Sasha Lane, Vuk Čelebić, Brian Caspe and Marie Kadeřábková. The film explores themes of motherhood, misogyny, gender, through the elements of historic royalty and mysticism. Halsey attempted to create a visual album since her first studio album Badlands (2015) but she did not have the financial backup to do so. She met Tilley in December 2020, regarding a horror film based on motherhood and draws visual influences from historical fiction, such as the television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and the film Marie Antoinette (2006). The film was shot for 16 days at Prague in March 2021, adhering to the safety restrictions to prevent COVID-19 pandemic. The team did several practical effects for her costumes and wardrobe as Halsey was six months pregnant at that time of filming. Elias Talbot shot the film, while Vinnie Hobbs supervised editing. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was screened at select IMAX theatres in United States on August 25, 2021, and internationally on August 26, to promote the album's release. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the direction, story, visuals, costume design, production values, aesthetics and themes of motherhood and fantasy. After its theatrical premiere, the film was screened at HBO Max on October 7, 2021. The film received nomination for Best Music Film at the NME Awards 2022. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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