Hiro Murai: 10 Works That Redefine Visual and Narrative Art

Ten major achievements by Hiro Murai, a promising Japanese director who is about to dive into the feature film world with his project for A24, are worth taking a closer look at. Murai is not an unknown name to fans of avant-garde series and powerfully narrated music videos. In fact, for many, Hiro Murai embodies a singular aesthetic, one that oscillates between dream and reality, always on the edge of the unexpected.

In 2013, Murai made a name for himself with the short film Clapping for the Wrong Reasons, made in close collaboration with Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino. This brief but intense film, associated with the album Because the Internet, sets the tone: Murai does not tell stories, he suggests them, brushes against them, offering snippets of narratives that stimulate the imagination without revealing everything. This first project with Glover marks the beginning of a creative alliance that will redefine entire swathes of visual and musical culture in the 2010s.

This collaboration culminated in This Is America, a music video that became iconic. Released in 2018, this video, beyond its striking aesthetic and choreographed movements, questions and denounces racial tensions and violence in the United States. It was instantly praised for its artistic depth and brutal social message, earning Murai international recognition and a well-deserved Grammy Award. Here, Murai masters the art of capturing the horror of reality while enveloping each scene in an almost poetic beauty, a signature that would become his trademark.

His genius isn’t limited to music videos. Hiro Murai is tackling television and making his mark with series like Atlanta (2016-2022), where his role goes beyond directing. As executive producer and director of several episodes, he actively participates in forging the unique visual identity of the series. His work on Atlanta is recognized with Emmy nominations, proof that his avant-garde approach resonates within the industry. Atlanta then becomes more than a series: it is a fresco of the daily life of black America, a surreal and critical portrait where Murai deploys all his talent as a visual storyteller.

One might think that this success would lock him into a style, but Murai is a chameleon. In 2019, he co-directed Guava Island with Donald Glover and Rihanna. This hybrid project, somewhere between a music video and a story, immerses viewers in a tropical atmosphere and offers a eulogy to artistic and political freedom. Guava Island is a good illustration of how Murai knows how to navigate between formats, transcending the boundaries between genres. The island imagined by Murai and Glover becomes a metaphor for creativity muzzled by capitalism, a reflection that is both dreamlike and committed.

Hiro Murai doesn't stop there. He tackles Bill Hader's series Barry (2018-2019), infusing it with a darkness and strangeness that complicates the story. His contribution to this black comedy allows him to explore new tones, where humor mixes with almost distressing visual sequences. Then, with Station Eleven (2021-2022), he transports us to a post-apocalyptic world. This series, adapted from the eponymous novel, is both an exploration of human bonds in devastation and a poignant reflection on the power of art in the face of the end of the world. Murai's sensitivity, which here depicts the wounds and hopes of humanity, makes it an atypical series in the contemporary television landscape.

In 2019, Murai took a new step by co-founding Super Frog, a production company, with Nate Matteson. This structure allows him to supervise and develop new projects, and above all, to have more control over the creative process. Super Frog thus becomes an extension of his universe, a laboratory where he can shape works that bear his signature and encourage other creators to explore without constraint.

And as 2024 begins, Hiro Murai is entrusted with the first two episodes of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, an adaptation of the cult film, this time with Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in the lead roles. This project, combining humor, action and mystery, is a reinterpretation through Murai's unique prism, which adds an unexpected and contemporary dimension to this action classic.

His feature debut Bushido, currently in development at A24, marks a turning point. An action film set in feudal Japan, a subject that seems tailor-made for Murai. With this project, he seems ready to further transcend his aesthetic to immerse us in a time and culture that fascinates him. This choice of historical setting, tinged with mysticism and discipline, provides Murai with the perfect canvas to explore themes of loyalty, honor, and sacrifice, while addressing modern questions in a historical light.

What makes Hiro Murai a unique director? Perhaps it is his ability to never repeat himself, to navigate between genres and to always inject a part of mystery and beauty into his stories. With each production, he questions the human condition, the dynamics of power and the hidden violence of our society, while creating an intense and moving visual spectacle. His works are mirrors where each reflection tells a different story, each scene becomes a questioning.

Do you already have a favorite in his filmography? Maybe This Is America for its social impact, or Station Eleven for its poetic realism? Basically, each of Murai's works seems to tell us that there is always another way of seeing things, and that the way we look at the world can be as sharp as a samurai blade.