With a script written by poet Caroline Adeyemi, and directed by Sam Pilling, the story the team chose to tell here is the less obvious one: a meditation on unresolved trauma, and the recurring role it plays in one’s life in terms of creativity, expression, and interpersonal relationships. However, this debut short film reinterprets the message of its namesake song with a far broader perspective.

One that has resonated on a huge scale with fans, and signaled a shift in terms of storytelling for Little Simz-an artist who has always been introspective and emotive but who also maintained a substantial layer of discretion between her public and private life. Her story of parenthood, betrayal, and father-daughter dynamics is a compelling one. Announced with widescreen orchestral fanfare, a bumbling bassline, hyperactive drums, and a vocal loop that tosses and turns between love and hate, the single draws on Simz’ own journey coming to terms with the complex and often-conflicting feelings she found herself holding for her father. “This time around, even though that energy is there, it’s also me acknowledging: ‘Well, actually, you were just a boy and you probably had your own childhood traumas or things that you had to deal with in your life that I am not aware of, which could’ve led to why you wasn’t able to be a good father.Unearthing her long-swallowed feelings toward her absent dad and their relationship, the track is a standout on arguably her most critically-acclaimed and indisputably her most commercially successful album yet. Had I released it then, it probably would’ve just been lots of ‘Fuck you.’” she said. “I don’t think I was emotionally mature enough to tackle something like that. She went on to explain that the creative and personal growth she experienced between the release of her first album in 2015 and her fourth just last month is what allowed a song like “I Love You, I Hate You” to exist in its current form. It’s about me and my feelings about it all and how this is affecting my relationships in my life.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, the rapper shared: “As much as it’s written about him, it’s not about him. The video shares its themes with the new short film as the singer tackles parental strife as she hits with the lyric “Are you a sperm donor or a dad to me?” Last month, Little Simz released a music video for “I Love You, I Hate You,” directed by Jeremy Ngatho Cole. Simz produced the album with her regular collaborator Inflo, and features guest appearances from Cleo Sol, Obongjayar, and even The Crown star Emma Corrin. It follows Little Simz’s 2019 album, Grey Area. Little Simz released Sometimes I Might Be Introvert in September. They understood and trusted my vision from the jump and had my back to create the film I set out to make.” It’s been incredible to work with a partner like WePresent (the digital arts platform of WeTransfer) who are so invested in telling stories like this. I wanted to make this film because I feel it’s a universal story that many people can relate to. “How trauma can affect us in our adult lives if never confronted. “ I Love You, I Hate You is the story of abandonment,” Little Simz said in a statement. It was directed by Sam Pilling and written by Caroline Adeyemi, and co-stars Shaniqua Okwok, C.J. The musician stars in the 20-minute film, which is based on a story she wrote. The film is a deep dive into a song of the same name from Little Simz’ recent album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Little Simz has debuted an original narrative short film, I Love You, I Hate You, in partnership with WePresent.

I hate you i love you