"Strong Enough" broadcast
on "Vanavond" VPRO Television, Holland

"Strong Enough" (2001, Best Musical & Audience Choice awards at Thaw 02) headed a line-up of selected works from the 20th World Wide Video Festival broadcast on the program "Vanavond," on VPRO Television, Holland, May 9. The five-piece program was followed by another WWVF "Vanavond" special on May 16.
"Strong Enough"
I don't need your sympathy
There's nothing you can say or do for me…
Cher in Strong Enough
Out of all the bug videos that were sent in to the World Wide Video Festival this year Pierre Yves Clouin's Strong Enough made a lasting impression. The short clip only lasts one-and-a-half minute and is arguably the world's shortest and sweetest musical ever made. The leading lady is a June Bug lying upside-down on its back, struggling in a desperate attempt to get back up on its feet again. It is remarkable how Clouin manages to transform such a simple everyday life scene into a larger-than-life event by effectively utilizing the essence of comedy: the careful orchestration of tension and relief. The viewer is parachuted into a top dramatic moment. You immediately identify and sympathize with the struggling bug. Then Clouin injects a bit of humour to relieve the heavy tension of this tragic event: the first two verses of Cher's song Strong Enough kick in. Relief. Cher is basically saying that you can be strong and rule your life and make the choices you want to make. Then Cher stops… We wait for the climax. But there is no climax, there is no turning point in the plot.
- Remco Vlaanderen, 20th World Wide Video Festival © 2003