By Kayla Cheung
Sometimes two people have a connection that transcends anything they’ve ever felt for another person before, and to each other, they’re unforgettable, and their time together replays in their minds forever — albeit its evanescence. But, they never come to reveal their amorous entanglement to the public. Instead, they live with the thought of what had once been their relationship. La Noche De Anoche is the story of such a connection, with its music video being a visual representation of the emotions involved in that dubious deadlock.
Latin superstar Bad Bunny and Rosalía become inseparable partners who end up bursting into passionate flames. The lovers narrate their story through this song, exploiting the fluid motions of the camera despite several types of shots. The spiraling shots move with the song, instead of against it, flowing with the artists’ voices and adding to the musicality and overall setting with both Rosalía and Bad Bunny’s semi-structureless costumes.
Fire and ice layer the video to represent both characters’ contributions to each others’ emotions. From Rosalía’s icicle-like nails paired with sultry black boots and a sun-absorbing off-white dress to Bad Bunny’s cool-toned, reflective choice in outerwear, the aesthetic composition serves to depict just how conflicted the lovers both feel when apart and together, which is why there is an initial focus on the modern-minimalist “igloo”, a symbol of their bitter cold distance. The fire and ice are what weave the lovers together, as their hearts grow fonder from a distance, evident in their expressions for about three-fourths of the video. While their mood appears playful, unsentimental, the lyrics say otherwise.
The song’s lyrics are reminiscent of Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice, albeit singed in sensuality. Their connection’s sexual nature equates to an emotional connection after the fact when their minds are racing at the thought of each other, substantiated with their body language when they are pictured apart. During those parts of the music video, they gaze into the distance as though they are hoping to meet again, allowing viewers to feel the lyrics with them, and relate their actions to the viewers’ own matters of the heart.
At the end of the video, the two lovers meet again in an enchanting, heartfelt portrayal of fire, ice, and desire. Fire and ice can be destructive and constructive, wonderful and horrible — but, in this case, they are all four. The lovers set each other ablaze when they touch, a reference to one of Bad Bunny’s lines and a symbol of their overwhelming and ambitious attraction. Rosalía’s nails glow ablaze, captivating on fire, with the fire-over-ice shot appearing transparent, comparing their emotional transparency throughout the video.
Rosalía and Bad Bunny’s chemistry is prominent throughout this beautiful rendering, solidifying the song’s overall story, and making for a video one can rewatch time-and-time again. Their use of a relatively simple set and the absence of costume changes make for a surprisingly impactful Valentines’ Day release. La Noche De Anoche is perfect for people in all avenues of the relationship spectrum.
