This video from Arctic Monkeys is a performance video. The song and video is based around prostitution in Sheffield (where the band come from) and a man that is implied as either the prostitutes pimp or client and throughout the song is described as a "scummy" man. The first image of the video is a woman who turns out to be the prostitute. In the first image we can tell that she is from a urban, poor area from the background having a tower block in it. The woman is seen at a mid shot so you can see the expression on her face which is a sad and depressed one and also see her clothing which is a hoody and jacket. Our first impressions of this woman are that she is relatively poor and very unhappy. As the video plays our impression of the woman doesn't change as she stands on the estate and smokes a cigarette until the image of her leaning in a car window and standing on street corners our impression turns to more sympathy towards the woman for the condition of her life. In the video the women is seen walking down a spiral staircase. This could be showing us where her life is heading: in a downward spiral. The "scummy" man either her pimp or client increases this feeling of pity for the girl as he seems controlling as he cuts and places food on her plate almost as if she were a child and abusive as he picks her up and carries her as she struggles to escape, his grasp, pulls her around by her hand and whilst in the back of a car he licks her face and manhandles her. Despite this the video portrays she puts up with this abuse because he in a way looks after her by supplying her food and warmth and at one point is shown to be placing extra layers to keep her warm. The video also shows the lack of glamour in the girls life as when she tries to become a magicians assistant which is normally a glamorous job the man gets jealous and beats him up and forced her to slap and punch the magician showing she is trapped being a prostitute and trapped being with this man who abuses her. The atmosphere of sadness and depression is exaggerated through the weather asweell. It is shown as cold, wet and a winter environment making the situation for the prostitute a lot worse.
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