In less than two minutes of viewing Madonna’s new short film Confessions II, the first shock factor is immediately clear—dancers, both men and women, have bright green laser lights shining from their pelvic areas. Madonna moves among the lasers like a bank robber dodging security, eventually sitting on one dancer who opens and closes their legs beneath her. Well, Madonna is Madonna.
The real surprise, however, is that while in Israel 67 is considered retirement age, Madonna seems not to have heard of the concept. At 67, she is releasing a new album, Confessions On a Dancefloor 2, a follow-up to her iconic 2005 record. She began promoting it with a surprise guest appearance alongside Sabrina Carpenter at Coachella, followed by a pop-up show in New York last week, and on Monday released a roughly 10-minute short film (plus four minutes of credits) featuring six songs from the album, set to drop next month.
The short film, also titled Confessions 2 and available on YouTube, moves through various scenes starring Madonna. It opens with her sitting alone in a room, singing, until a horde of “camera people” armed with flashing lights bursts in and liberates her. In another scene, she attends a party with high-profile stars like Kate Moss and Julia Garner (cast to play Madonna in an upcoming biopic), alongside a lineup of other celebrities. Madonna dances in a club bathroom, passionately interacting with a man, with cameos from Odessa A’Zion, DJs Honey Dijon, Arca and Shygirl, as well as Gwendoline Christie and Benedict Cumberbatch. During one song, Madonna provocatively tells viewers to “hide the cocaine,” a striking statement from a performer in her seventh decade.
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Madonna surprises fans with a performance in Times Square
(Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
The premiere event for the short film/music video took place in Tribeca, New York, last weekend. Choosing a major festival for the debut signals that the album is significant to her; a star of Madonna’s stature releases videos only on the most prestigious stages. Before the screening, she said: “I don’t want to make mindless music. I want to make music that’s about something. Dance music makes you move your body, and you feel the pulse. It’s, like, you’re connecting to the universe, you’re connecting to other humans. The movie’s really about connection. I emerge from my solitude of this apartment and go right into a forest with people with lasers coming out of their asses. You just really go through life, take risks, be curious, be observant. And put your fucking phones down and connect.”
In line with her wishes, she required fans attending the premiere to lock their phones in trendy Yondr pouches, which block phone access completely. “When I performed with Sabrina, everybody had their phones up, I didn’t know what anyone looked like,” she explained, highlighting her disdain for smartphones. On one hand, it’s a “mature” move, like a parent who doesn’t understand young people’s phone obsession; on the other, it signals a connection with Gen Z. While millennials are glued to their devices, teenagers understand the power of living in the moment, using phrases like “touch the grass” to express a connection to reality and rejection of smartphones.
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So what if she’s 67? Madonna surprises fans with a performance in Times Square
(Photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
Musically, Madonna’s new album is a direct continuation of Confessions on a Dancefloor, expected to explore club experiences and nightlife. Online, fans are already dissecting subtle nods in the video, such as a hotel scene with people in leather enjoying champagne—a clear homage to her 1990 video for “Justify My Love.”
EW noted that the video is Madonna’s way of telling her story on her own terms. Just as critics once claimed she was too young to be so sexual, she now defies critiques that she is too old. Madonna continues to flout age norms—on Instagram, she opened Pride Month topless, dressed as Marilyn Monroe. When your status as the queen of pop is firmly established, you don’t need validation; you can do whatever you want, even starring in a short film with dancers sporting green laser lights from their rears.