Justin Timberlake 'Mirrors' Music Video: Worth the 8-Minute Length

Culture

I've been slightly skeptical of singer Justin Timberlake since, oh, I don't know, 1998, when I felt Lance Bass was getting the short end of the stick in 'N Sync.

Though I sometimes think we could all use a break from JT, his latest song "Mirrors," which was influenced by his grandparents' relationship, is incredible and could turn even his biggest critics into fans.

The video opens with a dedication to "William and Sadie," JT's grandparents. The two were reportedly married for 63 years, up until William's death last year. Conveniently, the music video appears to tell the story of an old widow.

After the dedication, we watch the relationship blossom between two young retro lovers, who apparently meet for the first time around a pool table. They're happy at first, but the video also cuts to an image of the woman with a tear-streaked face beside her sleeping husband. It flashes forward to the future, with the couple old, gray, and copying each other's every move. Hence, they're "mirrors" of each other.

The video is 08:21 in length, but because it has the feel of a short film and the song itself is so catchy, you don't even realize nearly ten minutes have passed by the time the clip is over. Justin Timberlake himself doesn't have a large presence in the video, which tells me he's more invested in telling this incredible love story than creating a viral music video.

The best part of the video is that it shows the long relationship at its best and absolute worst. Someone can still be your other half, but that doesn't mean you'll be happy or in a good place all the time. At the very end, the elderly woman reluctantly takes off her wedding ring, seemingly because her husband has passed away. JT catches it, and I can only hope that means he's looking out for his grandmother right now.

With its montage of the couple throughout the years, the video shows how quickly life flies by, and if you haven't found your mirror yet, you may feel a little sad or left out when watching this (this guy!). Either way, it's a must-see, not to mention the only music video that can get away with this kind of length in today's low-attention span internet world.