
Callum Lloyd-James directs an evocative and emotionally affecting promo for singer-songwriter Last Sun. The video for Care 4 U features a man trapped between past and present, using Elizabethan dance as a way of trying to hold onto something that has already gone.Set against a cold, modern city, the film explores the feeling of being unable to move forward, watching as time continues on regardless.Boasting incredible cinematography, inspired direction and a focus on movement and texture, it's a beautiful visual, focusing on the fragility of life and love, and everything that still lies ahead. Jumping between micro and macro, we see expansive cityscapes and closeup fragments of shattered glass, a contrast that deepens the visual themes and language. As the ritual continues, the weight of this struggle begins to take its toll. Beneath the costume and performance, we see the person underneath: someone exhausted from fighting against something he was never able to control.“I loved putting this film together," Lloyd-James explains. "It’s a rare thing to have an artist who fully trusts and backs one of your slightly strange ideas for their song without any questions."The idea of the rhythmic dance came to me fairly quickly once I sat down with the track and started thinking about what the film could become. I’d worked with [the lead actor] Darren before, and I immediately knew he was the right person for this piece. The character needed someone who could carry the physicality of the performance, but also the emotional weight underneath it."From there, the challenge was finding a visual language for something as intangible as time passing. We’d been having milk deliveries made to the house around the time I was developing the idea, and I think that image must have been sitting somewhere in my subconscious. There was something about the fragility of it, the idea of something being spilled or broken and never quite returning to how it was, that felt connected to the theme of the film."The cold, bleak colour palette and the contrast between the softness of the milk and the harshness of the environments became a big part of shaping the world. Once those ideas started coming together, it felt like the only way the film could exist."From there, the shape of the film in my head didn’t really change from the initial idea, which always feels like a good sign when you’re writing something this instinctive. It’s probably my favourite project I’ve made in a long time, partly because it was able to stay so close to the original feeling and emotion that inspired it."I’m incredibly grateful to the crew who helped bring this strange little idea to life. From the incredible work during pre-production, through to the shoot and the care put in during post-production, everyone brought so much creativity and commitment to the project. It’s rare to get the opportunity to make something so personal, and even rarer to have a team who are willing to embrace all of the weird ideas along the way. This film really wouldn’t be what it is without them.”
Rob Ulitski - 2 hours ago
