Gaga once again invites us into the world of Chromatica by means of a desert, awakening on a sandy white beach, as the music builds to the song we know and love, 911.

In the short film, she is taken to an adobe house, greeted by obscure characters that are… For lack of a better word… hard to interpret. As one person is seen slamming their head against a pillow, others are flying, all the while singing along to the catchy hooky, “I can’t see me cry /Can’t see me cry, ever again (ooh) / I can’t see me cry / Can’t see me cry this is the end (ooh).” Meanwhile, Gaga happily serves multiple wardrobe changes, beautiful blue hairstyles, and makeup, distracting us from the fact the story is about to take a sharp turn, as she is sentenced to death.

Early May the singer broke down the meaning behind “911” on Apple Music. Lady Gaga explained, “[911 is] about an antipsychotic that I take. And it’s because I can’t always control things that my brain does. I know that. And I have to take medication to stop the process that occurs.” After watching, the out-of-control visuals perfectly communicate what it’s like to feel outside of your body. See the shocking twist to the film and learn more about the project, in Gaga’s word, below.

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This short film is very personal to me, my experience with mental health and the way reality and dreams can interconnect to form heroes within us and all around us. I’d like to thank my director/filmmaker Tarsem for sharing a 25 year old idea he had with me because my life story spoke so much to him. I’d like to thank Haus of Gaga for being strong for me when I wasn’t, and the crew for making this short film safely during this pandemic without anyone getting sick. It’s been years since I felt so alive in my creativity to make together what we did with “911”. Thank you @Bloodpop for taking a leap of faith with me to produce a record that hides in nothing but the truth. Finally, thank you little monsters. I’m awake now, I can see you, I can feel you, thank you for believing in me when I was very afraid. Something that was once my real life everyday is now a film, a true story that is now the past and not the present. It’s the poetry of pain.

A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) on Sep 18, 2020 at 9:11am PDT