Sia‘s “Free Me” tackles an unbelievably weighty subject, so she had to pull out some Hollywood heavies to help her make the lift. In the video, Zoe Saldana plays an expectant mother who has just been told she has HIV. In a voice-over by Julianne Moore, it’s revealed that Saldana will pass the disease onto her unborn child if left untreated.
Sia captures the shock of this moment beautifully — representing the shock of having your own body turn against you by having Saldana carried along through a ballet that she doesn’t seem to want any part of.
However, there is a way out. After a consultation with a doctor, Saldana is guided through the steps by a helper and eventually Saldana is able to burst out on her own over Sia’s voice cracking as she shouts “Free me!” The video ends with Saldana clutching a presumably healthy baby and a call to support #endHIV.
In addition to the ask for support from Sia’s fans, the bewigged singer and master pop craftsman is donating all of the song’s proceeds to the cause. The charity is raising money to fast-track a test of a potential vaccine against HIV, and fund clinical trials of the potentially life-saving discovery. Learn more here.
