“Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, but that’s alright because I love the way it hurts,” sings Rihanna in the chorus to Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” song. That poignant line seems to be the inspiration behind the accompanying video, which premiered tonight (Aug. 5) on MTV and Vevo.com at 9PM ET.
The Joseph Kahn-directed clip depicts an abusive relationship between Megan Fox and “Lost” actor Dominic Monaghan‘s characters, inspired by Eminem’s own relationship with two-time ex-wife Kim. The video has a number of scenes of domestic violence in which the couple goes back and forth between getting physically violent with each other and making love to each other, including a scene in which Monaghan’s character attacks a man who is talking to Fox’s character and then passionately kisses her seconds later.
In between scenes, a red-haired Rihanna — who recently told “Access Hollywood” that the song was something she “needed” to do following the very-public assault at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown – is singing the chorus while standing in front of a burning house and Eminem is rapping his pertinent lyrics from a desolate field before joining Rihanna.
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The clip aims at highlighting the dangers of an abusive relationship and, indirectly, delivers the message that it’s better to walk out before it’s too late.
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