First things first: Who is Jean Vigo and what does he have to do with Block B's subunit Bastarz?

Jean Vigo was a French director in the 1930s who made only four films in his lifetime due to bad health. Knowing that he had only a short time to live had an obvious impact on his career. All of his films have an exuberant anarchy to them that reflected his troubled life, none more so than his 1934 masterpiece "Zero de Conduite" which translates to, yes, you guessed it, "Zero For Conduct." So the links between the song by Bastarz and Jean Vigo are not that much of a stretch.

Bastarz using this as the title for their debut single shows an obvious influence from Vigo, but the links go deeper than mere reference. Block B's situation within the K-pop environment mirrors that of the young protagonists- Caussat, Colin, and Bruel- of Vigo's film.

The film "Zero For Conduct" is about three young French boys who hatch a plan to start a rebellion in their strict school. It involves all manner of playful plans and schemes. It plays as a critique of French society so stuck to their rules and authority that they have lost all meaning of fun.

Similarly, the song "Zero For Conduct" is about the K-pop industry. Bastarz make fun of boys who prance around in makeup while still trying to be macho. Both parties are criticizing the systems they are stuck in; they are starting revolutions within the system.

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Content courtesy of KultScene.

Any opinions expressed are not those of KpopStarz, but are the ideas of the writer.