After three months of puzzling trailers and #secretproject tags, pop superstar Madonna has finally unveiled her latest project - the new Art For Freedom global initiative - with a short film simply called “secretprojectrevolution.”

Directed by photographer Steven Klein and Madonna herself, the 17-minute video has a 1940s film noir vibe along with a lot of very bizarre imagery.

The film opens with a shot of Madonna (playing herself) in a jail cell and a voice-over that pretty much sets the tone for the remaining 16 minutes: “Economic markets are collapsing, people all over the world are suffering and people are afraid. And what happens when people are afraid? They become intolerant. They start pointing the finger at other people. They say, ‘You’re the reason. You’re the problem. You’re to blame. Get out!’ The enemy is not out there. The enemy is within.”

As made obvious by the title, “secretprojectrevolution” is basically 17 minutes of Madonna talking about starting a revolution. It’s full of anti-authoritarian stuff about how creativity is being oppressed by the “wheel of corporate branding and what’s trending.” 

And as in all things film noir, crime and murder are at the center of this particular short film. Within a minute and a half, Madonna has already killed off a room of people and then throws in a reference to French film director Jean-Luc Godard for good measure: “All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl.”

There are tons of other cultural references throughout the video, including an audio clip of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Then, in a moment where I’m inclined to yell “First World Problems,” Madonna says that we don’t take her seriously enough about her desire to start a revolution: "If I had black skin and an afro, would you take me seriously? If I was an Arab waving a hand grenade, would you take me seriously? If I was wearing combat gear and I had an AK-47 strapped to my back, would you take me seriously? Instead, I'm a woman. I'm blonde. I have t*** and a** and an insatiable desire to be noticed."

The rest of "secretprojectrevolution" summed up: an obligatory Madonna makes out with another woman moment, dancers doing crazy things with their bodies, Madonna singing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," and more voice-overs about Madonna starting a revolution.

Despite how confused we were by the end of the clip, we’re positive that its deep, underlying meaning will be made clear on the next play-through… Maybe.

In all seriousness though, “secretprojectrevolution” is just the beginning of Madonna’s Art For Freedom initiative that she’s been working on with VICE Media and BitTorrent as a way of promoting free speech and creative expression to “respond, address and protest persecution around the world.”

People are encouraged to join in by uploading their own original work (be it music, poetry, photography, or some other medium) and using the tag #artforfreedom.

Watch the entirety of “secretprojectrevolution” below and if you want to find out more, Madonna has also posted her 40-minute interview with VICE on her YouTube channel.

Reach Staff Reporter Michelle Tiu here or follow her on Twitter.