Watch The National’s New Short Film, I Am Easy to Find

The National have released the short film accompanying their forthcoming album, I Am Easy To Find, due out this Friday, May 17. The 24 minute-long film was written and directed by Mike Mills, director of 20th Century Women, in collaboration with the band.

The film centers on stories of women as inspired by early recordings of the album’s tracks, many of which feature prominent female features from the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and others. Alicia Vikander stars in I Am Easy To Find as a young woman at different stages of her life, from birth until death.

I Am Easy To Find, the film, features new music from I Am Easy To Find, the album. Both The National and Mills have made it clear that neither the film nor the album is a soundtrack to the other; however, they are individual pieces of art that came into existence together. Talking about the creative process, Mills writes:

The National gave me the stems for their songs, some were sketches some were finished and encouraged and allowed me to create my own versions of the songs to score the film. The album then features different versions of these same 7 songs – and 9 new songs which sometimes refer to the themes, texts, ideas from the film – but are their own work, their own piece of art.

The band has also released commentary videos on the creative process behind the film and album from frontman Matt Berninger, co-lyricist Carin Besser and director Mills. Watch the short film and commentary videos below, listen to the band’s 2007 Daytrotter session further down, and find The National’s upcoming tour dates here.