Miranda July is at it again. The director, artist, writer, and overall creative powerhouse just launched a new messaging service in collaboration with Miu Miu, and it’s awesome—though anything involving both Miranda and Miuccia Prada is enough to turn my eyes into giant cartoon hearts.
The app, titled Somebody, was created to explore the chaotic opposite of typical messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. As July told AnOther, Somebody is the contemporary reimagining of “singing telegrams and the way romantic messages used to be delivered by friends [back in] high school.” As her friend and current BUST cover girl Carrie Brownstein put it, “[Somebody] re-humanizes electronic communication.”
It works like this: You pick a friend, and after making your selection, you’re shown a list of users near them—most likely strangers—from which you select a deliverer. You then type up your message. Somebody gives you the option of dictating both the tone and gesture of the performance, and once you finalize all the details, your chosen messenger finds your friend and delivers your message, as you. It’s deliciously complicated and mysteriously simple.
The app release was accompanied by a short film of the same name, created for Miu Miu Womens’ Tales, an acclaimed series of short films created by female directors dedicated to ‘critically celebrating femininity’ as we’ve come to know it today. In typical MJ style, the short film is chock-full of charmingly normal and endearingly odd characters, all inspired by the Fall/Winter 2014 Miu Miu collection. The on-screen gang of misfits capture hearts and demonstrate the full power of the app, using it for everything from a break-up to a marriage proposal, and then, as a kinky reminder to water your plants.
The film premiered online yesterday and screened during the 71st Venice International Film Festival. To download the app or to learn more, visit somebodyapp.com.
All images courtesy of Miu Miu, Miranda July, and Brigitte Lacombe.
