Little Simz has made her directorial debut with a new short film titled ‘I Love You, I Hate You’. The track, taken from her critically acclaimed album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, does not actually feature in the music video; ‘I Love You, I Hate You’ recieved its own official video 3 weeks back. Watch the new short film below:

The title is mildly deceiving, as it is not an extended music video for the track, but simply a short film with the same title as the track. Instead of acting as visuals or a music video for ‘I Love You, I Hate You’, the film decides to deal with themes presented by the track, namely loving in an on-and-off manner.

At 22 minutes in length, it features Little Simz taking to acting, playing a character named Sage who is a stand-in for Simz herself. It features an intimate scene with a loved one, bumping into an old friend, and the three of them chilling looking at baby pictures. The film is stripped back, minimalistic, focusing on the minutiae of daily life, or more specifically, her creative struggles in writing for her then-upcoming album. Moving headfirst through a writers block, Little Simz semi-reluctantly agrees to take shrooms with a friend to break through the rut. Balancing maintaining friendships and relationships with keeping up her artistry, the struggles that the film deals with are grounded, making the stuff of life into the stuff of art.

Additionally, the film deals with themes mentioned in the original track. Unpacking abandonment she felt as a child, with scenes of her running through forests as a child and as an adult, the film reflects the tracks discussion of her absent father. The track is much more punchy and aggressive in sound than the film, which mostly has a serene vibe, reinforced by the location; a remote house in the country, serving as her writers retreat.

It is an ambitious piece, made possible by WeTransfer and featuring an extensive crew. Little Simz is proving herself to be an adaptable and adept creator, now adding director to her CV. The video, which does not feature the eponymous track, instead features another track from the album, ‘I See You’, over its credits. The film also features ‘Red Lights’ by SAULT, who Simz collaborated with on the track ‘You From London’ on the album Nine. It also features three tracks from Nala Sinephro, as well as a track from Simz’s first EP titled ‘Piece Of Mind’.

Listen to her most recent album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, below: