The music video you directed for Donald Glover/Childish Gambino’s song “This Is America” was so popular it helped propel the track to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Were you surprised by the reaction to it? I didn’t expect it to click with people that much. But, uh, Donald knows something.

So what do you think the video is about? You know, I don’t think it’s for me to say anymore.

Online, people were really trying their best to decipher it. You don’t feel compelled to respond to people’s YouTube videos’ analyzing it shot by shot? The intent was always to kind of chase a feeling rather than a concrete statement. I think music videos in particular and film in general — it’s really good at communicating tone and feeling. As soon as it feels like someone is giving you talking points or like a manifesto on a soapbox, I think it loses a little bit of the luster.

One major critique I saw was the idea that it implicates viewers by manipulating them into enjoying this violent spectacle. I can understand that. I think certainly there’s like a caustic sort of tongue-in-cheek element to it, too, but we’re genuinely invested in the tragedy also. You can feel both of those things at the same time.