Review: "Rita" - Music video for song by Tsenzura

Review by Josephine Koima: Intern

Director: Yuzefovich Valery
Category: Animation
Duration: 4:09 minutes
Music: Tsenzura

‘Rita’ is an animated film adapted from a song by the same name, done by an Israeli Band (Tsenzura). Tsenzura’s music can be described as hardcore punk/rock. as It is about a young girl’s struggles and need to indulge in alcohol and drugs, the things she tries to run from. Perhaps hoping suicide will end her anguish, she gets into a fantasy world, for a few minutes, and realizes that it is scarier and threatening compared to her reality.

Since the song forms a big part of the film’s narrative, it is essential to dig into the lyrics and meaning of what the band represents. ‘Tsenzura’ is Hebrew for ‘Censorship’, most of the song/video contains elements of drugs and sex. These young singers integrate the issues they have grown up with and around into their songs, and the character brings the song to life. There are sexual connotations in Rita’s fantasy that also depict her struggles as a woman i.e. the doctor telling her that ‘she has girl problems’ and suggesting a disgraceful and demeaning ‘cures’.Color has been used to reinforce elements of the story ;Yellow representing the alcohol, red for her kidney that’s apparently damaged because of her abuse of drugs, and interestingly, it has been used as a gag in her tormenting fantasy, the multicolored vomit as she had too much to drink as the song says ‘She can’t learn to drink’

The film makes use of fast-cutting or fast-paced editing where actions follow each other in quick succession, so the viewer gets to absorb much more information, and it also shows chaos e.g. In her fantasy, Rita gets through a lot after taking a pill from the doctor, we see the impact of that action-her distress is magnified.

The song is also a form of criticism; against the many people who tend to associate rock n’ roll to sex and drugs. In another instance, they talk about social issues of democracy and injustice.

It is interesting to learn more about the band, with a name that raises curiosity as ‘Censorship’ and an even more daring choice of genre as rock, one will easily enjoy the diversity that the Israeli music industry can offer.