Cero Ismael’s sadness

Produced by HALAL, the promo is made up of stylised and sensitively performed vignettes featuring the singer and his close friends and family. 

The central idea was to represent the feeling of depression. To visualise the sense of the inescapability of these feelings, the film was shot in confined spaces. It ends on a hopeful note of intimacy with the artist’s real-life brother kissing his forehead to comfort him: an idea that Ismael himself suggested.

Ismael’s lyrics to the track are autobiographical and brutally honest. He reflects on the last few years of his life, during which he dealt with depression, trauma, suicidal ideation, loss, and isolation.

The director’s light touch explores these thoughts but also, ultimately, allows a hint of optimism to come through.