Music Video · 2015

Pussy Riot: I Can't Breathe

A music video for Pussy Riot's first English-language song — a tribute to Eric Garner directed by Maxim Pozdorovkin and Jeanne Applegate.

Synopsis ·

Pussy Riot's first English-language single, released in 2015 in tribute to Eric Garner — the man killed by an NYPD officer's chokehold whose final words, "I can't breathe," became a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter. The video stages the song as a slow, controlled descent.

02 · About the video

Filmed at the site of Eric Garner's murder in Staten Island, NY, the video captures a community in mourning. Members of Eric Garner's family appear throughout. They gather to build a memorial and stage a 'die-in' at the sight where Garner took his last breath. They hold candles and look back at us, continuing to bear witness to the tragedy of Eric Garner's last words.

03 · From the video
Gwen Carr — Eric Garner's mother — at the memorial vigil in Staten Island.
Candles and flowers stacked at the memorial built where Garner died. Staten Island · 2015
A community member looks back at the camera, continuing to bear witness.
"#RIPEricGarner" — a hand-painted tribute laid among the flowers.
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