The 2010 Grammy's  Album of the Year underdog winner, The Suburbs, has inspired a short film written by Arcade Fire brothers Will and Win Butler and cult auteur film maker Spike Jonze.  The director, known for his work in the music world, marks this piece with his often painful sentimentality while highlighting universal themes of alienation and growing up in a wartime setting.

The reflective film, running 30 minutes in length, focuses on a group of teens simply being teens.  A non-specific war between townships is seen through the eyes of these adolescent characters, who, even in their personal lives, straddle the line of controlling their fate.  They hang out in parks and discuss the proper time to make a move on a girl with small reminders of the war they are living amongst casually popping in and out.  But when the war is thrust directly in front of them a friend begins to crumble leading to personal battles and destruction. Jump cuts in plot and a heavy use of montage make the piece feel like a trailer at times.  However, these devices allow breathing room in a film so dense with emotional weight and social poignancy, which simultaneously keeps run time down and audience engagement high.

The film is said to be a part of The Suburbs deluxe reissue happening in early August and can be screened on Mubi.