Will Mayer turns a very tangible fear into an existential threat in his haunting video for Bad Bad Not Good.

A man sits in a car, inexorably filling up with water. When he escapes, he then find himself in another situation where rising waters could engulf him at any moment.

This not only taps into universal fears, it's a physical representation of a psychological state. And as Mayer explains below, it's drawn from his own personal experience. Shot on 35mm, on a modest budget, it's a labour of love that leaves a big impression.

WILL MAYER:

"Feeling your limbs fight against the current as you desperately scan the horizon for a speck of salvation, the act of treading water. Losing a loved one is eerily reminiscent of this sensation. An overwhelming force overtakes you and despite, your best effort you can barely keep your head above the surface. Because this force, once its gotten its hold on you, never truly lets go.

"I spent the better half of a decade fighting this force - grief – off. The harder I fought the tighter its grasp became. As I said you never truly come out a victor in this battle, but eventually you meet this beast in the eyes and allow it to take you where it pleases. Only then, in that quiet moment of acceptance and humility are you free.

"This film was more or less a ballet to the five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Our protagonist fights the battle that we have all fought, only to come out the other side. He ends neither free nor victorious….but alive. Because overcoming grief is never about victory - it’s about perseverance."