#imposter mv

Harry: hold my drink—

based on my friends’ comments — and now that i’ve actually watched the mv — it’s pretty clear (in my opinion) that the man in the narrative is “imposter louis,” while louis’ cameo represents the real louis. happiness and authenticity are split between the two.

one thing a friend pointed out that really stuck with me was the cake on the mother-in-law’s face, which immediately brings up cakegate. and honestly, the expression and the imagery line up.

cakegate was such a visible, public moment — almost the symbolic “end” of louis’ openly queer presentation — and here it feels like that same visual language is being echoed on purpose. it reads as a full-circle moment: either forcing a confrontation with what was taken from him back then, or actively reclaiming it by reusing the same imagery under his own control.

his facial expressions don’t read as annoyance at all — to me, they read as disappointment. it looks more like he’s reflecting, thinking back on what happened, and feeling the weight of how that single moment played a role in suppressing his true self. this is someone truly realizing the significance of something long after the fact.

Here is my interpretation of Louis’ role in his MV for Imposter.

The main character and Louis look very similar. I was expecting Louis to be revealed to be the guy at the end, and when he wasn’t, I was a little disappointed. But then I kept thinking about it.

Obviously this guy isn’t happy in his life/relationship. The first half of the MV shows him fighting, looking upset/annoyed, going back and forth between good times and bad times, etc. But things start to change when Louis shows up. I believe that this is a representation of him confronting his true self. Let’s analyze the club scene.

The guy gets to the club, and the line playing in the song is “I’m so in awe of you that it hurts.” I think this is referring to Louis/his true self, who is about to come on screen. He and Louis are immediately happy to see each other when Louis gets there. The guy picks Louis up, representing that he carries Louis with him, ie, Louis is a part of him.

They are notably dressed different—Louis has on a leather jacket, the guy has on a flannel. Louis’ jacket is open, he is open/true to himself. The guy’s flannel is buttoned up/closed, showing that the guys is closed off. The guy likes Louis’ jacket, perhaps wishes that he dressed like that/wishes he could be open/show who truly he is on the outside. (Jackets and flannels are worn on the outside!)

The guy starts talking to Louis, and it seems like he’s talking about the issues he’s having. It keeps flashing back and forth between the guy with Louis and the guy with the girl. It feels like that represents the back and forth of should I keep going with this life, or should I become my true self?

Louis is happy the whole time he’s on screen. He represents happiness, authenticity, positivity. This is who the guy wants to be—his true self. The girl and the guy don’t fight the whole time they’re at the club, ie when Louis’ around. Emphasis on things are good/happy.

Everyone is having fun on the dance floor. Louis is the first one to start singing, a big smile on his face. Everyone else joins along, including the guy. The club scene ends on the guy. Louis has disappeared off screen, almost like he wasn’t literally there to begin with.

The MV ends with the guy back in his bedroom, looking miserable again. Because the club scene never actually happened. He just imagined it, imagined a moment where he got to be with his true self and his true self showed him how to have a good time and be happy. “Is this really happening? I don’t wanna wake up” he didn’t want to wake up from the daydream, but he did, and now he’s back, still being an imposter in his own life.

Boy doesn’t like girlfriend. Boy doesn’t like her parents. Boy fights with girlfriend. Boy drinks to feel good. Boy gets happy when Louis shows up. Boy flirts with Louis. Girl gets mad. Boy doesn’t care. Boy feels good.