Experiencing Interruptions?

LVX MACHINA - THUG DELUXE

Tells the story of a thug who met a woman that’s more of a gangster than he is. An emotional gangster. The beautiful house he lives in becomes a character as well as it incorporates and brings to surface all the emotions of the two characters.

  • Cristian Balint
    Director
  • Béla Baptiste
    Director
  • Cristian Balint
    Writer
  • Béla Baptiste
    Producer
  • Martina Karra
    Key Cast
    La Langue
  • Meeko Gattuso
    Key Cast
    Euphoria, The Obelisk
  • Project Type:
    Music Video
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 41 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 13, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    777 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Romania, United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    Romanian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Cristian Balint, Béla Baptiste

Béla Baptiste: Born in Berlin, he developed his love for filmmaking while growing up immersed in Paris’s rich theater and opera scene. He later moved to Vienna, where he earned an MFA in film directing from the Filmakademie Wien, where Michael Haneke taught.

As a director, he values understanding the process from both sides of the lens. His work as an actor has shaped his approach, particularly his role as narrator Dieter Albrecht with the closing words in Martin Scorsese’s Silence.

His most recent project is The Obelisk, a feature film following the success of The Dutchman’s Pipe, a commissioned short film. Currently, he is in pre-production for The Box, a full-length adaptation of a theater play.

At the core of his work lies a fascination with the juxtaposition of opposing forces—a recurring theme in his storytelling. He also embraces humor as a powerful narrative tool, believing that “we can laugh about everything, but not with everyone.”
....................................................................................................................
A classically trained actor, Cristian Balint has played roles from Shakespeare to Edward Albee, crossing the whole theatre spectre, from playing the lead at the renowned Odeon Theatre in Bucharest to acclaimed independent productions. Working steadily for the past 10 years in theatre, film and television, Cristian was a co-star on the NBC worldwide hit TV show “The Blacklist” and has collaborated with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Roth, Andrew McCarthy (Orange is the new black, St. Elmo’s fire, The Blacklist), BBC award winning director Craig Lines, Michael Watkins (The Blacklist, X-Files, Law and Order), Ludi Boeken (World War Z) and some of the best Romanian film and theatre directors including “Palm d’or” winner Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean, Radu Afrim and Florin Zamfirescu, to name a few.
In 2012, Cristian was one of the 10 best Romanian theatre actors featured in the first edition of the “10 for film” program, during Transilvania International Film Festival.
He studied acting for 4 years at the University of Theatre and Cinema in Bucharest, working with esteemed teachers like Catalin Naum, Florin Zamfirescu, Vladimir Granov, Florin Fieroiu and many others.
Cristian is the creator of the www.actoranima.ro acting lab, an acting course that combines classical acting training with self discovery aspects.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

At its core, this music video flips the script on the traditional tough-guy narrative. We follow a thug—someone who embodies strength, resilience, and an unshakable exterior—but we see that the real power in his story lies elsewhere. He’s been through battles, faced danger, and lived by his own rules, but none of that prepared him for the devastation of heartbreak.

The moment he admits, “The real thug is a woman who breaks your heart,” the facade crumbles. What we wanted to capture visually was that raw, unfiltered moment where vulnerability outshines bravado. The performance carries weight not just in words, but in body language, in silence, in the way he carries his loss like an invisible wound.

Through the cinematography, we leaned into contrast—gritty environments drenched in shadows juxtaposed with moments of stillness, where his pain lingers in the negative space. We played with perspective, sometimes framing him as the dominant figure, other times making him feel small within the world, reinforcing that no armor can shield you from the kind of pain that comes from love lost.

This video is about the paradox of power: how the strongest people can still be undone by something as intangible as emotion. In the end, he’s not just a thug—he’s a man facing the one fight he can’t win.