Ride

Ride is a 2012 American short music film directed by Anthony Mandler. The film stars Lana Del Rey as Artist, a prostitute who leaves her opulent family and joins a biker gang on the open road. The film was also written by Del Rey, and is based on her song of the same name, from her extended play (EP) Paradise (2012). The film's supporting cast includes Ian Seeberg, Scott Marlatt, and Kevin Peterson as Artist's lovers, and Josh Kurlups, Brian Harlow, Shawn Donohue, Steve Buchanan, Will Thomas, and Del Rey's brother, Charlie Grant as members of a biker gang. Lasting a duration of over 10 minutes, the film serves as its title song's music video. Aside from featuring the song itself, the film also features "confessional monologues" spoken by Del Rey. Ride premiered at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, California on October 10, 2012. Two days later it was released onto the online video platform VEVO. It was distributed by Black Hand Cinema. The film's reception was mixed to positive, with critics complimenting Del Rey's acting, but generating controversy due to the film's portrayal of prostitution, adultery, gun violence, and cultural appropriation. Plot The film opens to Artist (Lana Del Rey) in a cowboy-influenced outfit while swinging on a tire swing in the middle of the desert. It then cuts to show her roaming the streets in streetwalker attire while attempting to hitch hike, as a monologue about why she started prostituting plays in the background. Artist reveals that all her family and friends disapprove of her lifestyle, but urges that they are simply unaware of what it feels like to have "your home be where you lay your head". Artist proceeds to perform in a dive bar, revealing that she was a performer, but "not a very popular one". In her closing moments in the bar, she insists that she's always been different, and was "born to be the other woman". As Del Rey says this, a montage of clips showing her and her biker gang play as the titular track, "Ride", begins to play shortly after. Artist has multiple returning clients, or "lovers" (played by Ian Seeberg, Scott "The Wall" Marlatt, and Kevin Peterson, respectively), that she eventually runs away from her home with. After a series of excursions, Artist says she "finally found her home" as she continues to enjoy her new lifestyle moving from motel to motel.