SZA’s Kill Bill music video ends even darker than we imagined

SZA’s “Kill Bill” is the ultimate female revenge anthem and the breakout hit of her latest album SOS, going number one on the Billboard Global 200 Chart. “Kill Bill’s” infectious melody and shocking lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of blinding jealousy after watching an ex-partner move on. Since the release of SOS, fans have been begging for a “Kill Bill” music video and now it’s finally here.

The video, directed by Christian Breslauer, is a wild ride with shoot-outs, bloody organs, sword fighting, anime characters, and some visually disturbing scenes that take the lyrics, “I just killed my ex / I still love him though / rather be in hell than alone” to a whole new level.

The music video ironically begins with SZA’s song “Nobody Gets Me” playing softly in the background and ends with her singing her song “Seek And Destroy.” This choice alludes to the idea that the three songs are interconnected and tell a complete story of falling in love, getting dumped, and committing a murder out of jealousy.

The video starts with a plot twist right off the bat when SZA’s ex tries to kill her by leading a group of assassins in a shoot-out. In the “Kill Bill” lyrics, there’s no mention of SZA’s ex trying to kill her, but rather the opposite. This scene feels like a nostalgic action movie and must be a metaphor for the emotional intensity of being dumped. To SZA, being broken up with feels like an attempted murder. Either way, it makes watchers want to root for SZA as she plans her counter-attack.

SZA’s stunt fighting skills are impressive as she jumps, flips, and sword fights men to get to her ex, even morphing into an anime superhero. Clearly inspired by herself in the video, she recently tweeted:

I wanna take MMA lessons fr who got trainer recommendations

— SZA (@sza) January 11, 2023

The scene that is sure to be the most iconic is when SZA cuts out her ex’s bloody heart with her sword, holds it up to the camera, and licks it in satisfaction. This one clip represents the entire message of “Kill Bill.”

The final scene of the video is the eeriest. There is a close-up shot of SZA upside down singing lyrics from her song “Seek and Destroy:” “You pushed me past my capacity boy / do it to you / I had to do it to you.” As the camera slowly zooms out, it reveals SZA is naked, heavily restrained, and hanging from the ceiling in a dimly lit room.

It’s safe to say the “Kill Bill” video will go down in history as one of SZA’s best. The R&B artist recently released a “Kill Bill” four-track bundle, including an instrumental and sped-up version for fans to enjoy.