For those of us invested in Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson’s maybe-more-than friendship, Dirty Computer — the 48-minute video album slash “emotion picture” that Monae released today — is an essential addition to the shipper canon. The story stars Monáe as “Jane 57821,” a woman living in some sort of horrible futuristic dystopia where people are referred to as “computers.” Jane is something called a “dirty computer,” which means she has to go through an Eternal Sunshine–esque brain wipe to have her lover Tessa (“Mary Apple 53”) removed from her memories. The twist: Mary Apple 53, whose memories have already been wiped, is the one doing the deprogramming.
In addition the already-seen music videos for “Pynk” and “Make Me Feel,” “Dirty Computer” has a lot of brand new cute #Janessa moments, from the beginnings of a beachside threesome to Tessa giving Janelle a stick and poke.
Here are our favorite moments:
When Tessa doesn’t let her extra-wide hat brim get in the way of some intimate face-to-face contact:
This rendezvous definitely going on our Coachella mood board:
When future-Tessa swivels Janelle around like a Lazy Susan:
When Janelle says “I don’t want to forget you” to future-Tessa. Aw.
This sensual beach smooch:
Throwing caution — and sanitary conditions — to the wind with a beachside stick and poke:
Tessa getting freaky with a trumpet camera:
Lollypop-licking and club canoodling in the perfect bisexual lighting (also seen in the stand-alone video for “The Way You Make Me Feel”):
The ever iconic pussy pants in “Pynk”:
And the end, when Tessa provides a shoulder to lean on:
What a film.