Music as media in Downfalls High

Machine Gun Kelly, or MGK, released the wildly successful pop-punk album, Tickets to My Downfall, in September of 2020. In January 2021, he directed and released a 50-minute masterpiece of a short film, Downfalls High, with Mod Sun to go alongside the album. I’ve already raved about how much I love TTMD in my previous piece, but the release of this film takes my respect for both the album and MGK’s musical prowess to a whole other level. With several of the featured artists on the album making an appearance in the film, the music video is so much more than that; it is a work of art.

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The story of Downfalls High follows Fenix, an “edgy” high schooler, and his struggles to fit in. The film opens with shots of him presumably in a mental institution and MGK says a short dialogue about the nature of loving someone to the point of losing yourself. This is when the opening song of the album, “title track,” plays and we see our protagonist’s daily routine in a mental institution. Another piece of dialogue here indicates that Fenix was in the mental institution because he had severed his own ear off. The song then cuts out and we are planted 8 months ago, before Fenix came to be where he is now. 

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“kiss kiss” kicks us off at the beginning of our journey following Fenix’s life. This second track serves as the exposition for us, enabling us to learn vital background information about Fenix’s life before we dive into the nitty gritty of the plot. “kiss kiss” ends with Fenix meeting his soon-to-be girlfriend, Scarlett, under the football bleachers in classic high school rom-com style. It then transitions to “drunk face,” which serves as the backing track to the beginning of their romance—the flirty, sweet, and sometimes painfully awkward phase that’s inevitable in every relationship. 

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“bloody valentine,” TTMD’s resident love song, takes us into their life as an official couple. MGK makes subtle yet incredibly detailed choices here in regards to the cinematic adaptation of this song, such as through a scene where Fenix and Scarlett put their hands together on wet cement in reference to the song lyrics, “like hand prints in wet cement, she touched me it’s permanent.” The cutesy part of the relationship soon escalates to the much more romantic side, and when “bloody valentine” transitions to a more serious tone with “I can’t hide how I feel how about you,” the film shows Fenix and Scarlett making out under the covers, symbolizing them making love. 

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A stark contrast to this scene, the film switches to our couple in a record shop and the song “body bag” comes on. This is one of the ways in which MGK and Mod Sun add a twist to the film to freshen things up. Their use of this song out of chronological order helps them stray from the stale formula of following the exact order of the album, as “body bag” is actually one of the deluxe edition’s songs and is featured at the end of the album. 

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“forget me too,” the next scene, provides crucial information, as Scarlett reveals she is pregnant but she never tells Fenix out of fear (what teenager wouldn’t be scared to tell their new boyfriend they’re pregnant?). This anxiety ends up bleeding into their relationship though, and we see an argument break out between them.

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We then see Scarlett purchase a blue electric guitar at a pawn shop and a scene of her covering it in pink duct tape (in reference to MGK’s signature pink guitar for TTMD) ensues. A crucial scene of dialogue is exchanged between Scarlett and Fenix. This exchange provides a stark contrast to pretty much every other scene in the film, as it is the only one without music, and also relays a life-changing bit of information. Scarlett then leaves after handing Fenix the pink guitar. She says she needs to tell him something (which we can guess was the news of her pregnancy), but would rather do so later. They say goodbye and she walks out to her car. The next scene shows flashing lights and the sound of tires screeching, and we learn that she ends up dying in a car crash. 

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“lonely” plays as Scarlett’s funeral ensues. We see shots of MGK and Travis Barker performing in front of an ambulance as Fenix and his friends mourn the loss of his girlfriend. This scene is definitely the most gut-wrenching, and most of that is due to the pure artistic prowess seen throughout. With the combination of the already painful lyrics of “lonely” (which is about MGK’s struggle in handling the loss of his family members) and the beautifully gloomy cinematography, it is enough to give you chills.

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After Scarlett’s death, Fenix uses the pink guitar to form a band called Pink Switchblades, composed of himself, his brother, and a few friends. “concert for aliens” is their signature song, and the cinematography is *chef’s kiss*. I absolutely love the use of toilets as props in this scene, with actors throwing up into them in sync while MGK rocks out. A+++ on that end, but F- for the fact that Scarlett’s best friend hits on Fenix at the show. This doesn’t sit well with him (or myself), but the film then transitions into “my ex’s best friend,” and we see him and the rest of Pink Switchblades partying at her house. Thankfully, nothing ends up happening between the two. The cinematography is also extremely well executed in this scene, with references to Adam and Eve, and I love the way they remixed parts of the song to better fit Blackbear’s cameo.

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“nothing inside” offers us a quick break from the melodrama with a grotesque scene of iann dior conducting a real-life game of Operation on MGK, but then we are brought back to the story with Fenix standing at a cemetery. MGK offers another dialogue, this time talking about how he doesn’t want to have any regrets in life, “because also, if the world was coming to an end, I don’t wanna close my eyes without feeling like I’ve lived.” Fenix is seen laying on top of Scarlett’s grave as the words are spoken and the sun sets, and it gives off an overall vibe of longing and sadness, but also a spark of hope. 

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The final scene, “play this when i’m gone,” is Fenix’s graduation from Downfalls High. MGK is seen singing by himself in the audience, and as the only person there, it gives an almost surreal feeling to the entire function. As Fenix walks across the stage, he pulls out a pink switchblade and cuts off his ear in classic Vincent Van Gogh style. This added touch reinforces the whole theme of losing yourself because you love someone so much, and Fenix here demonstrates just how much he loved Scarlett by mutilating his own body in order to quell the pain he feels inside. 

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As a whole, Downfalls High and Tickets to My Downfall give me so much hope for the future of rock. The musical nature of the album and film remind me of Green Day’s pop-punk opera American Idiot, which later ended up getting its own Broadway adaptation and hundreds of pieces of fan-made content. I am a huge fan of music that tells a story, and to see a modern artist that I’ve already been a fan of for years do something this bold—while still honoring his rock ancestors and godfathers—makes me truly happy.

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Written by Amber Ellertson