Lets face it…a film about suicide isn’t exactly what you’d call a fun weekend watch, but throw a respected music-video director and a young hip-hop star into the mix and do I have your attention yet? Helmed by award winning music video director Colin Tilley and starring Chance the Rapper, Mr Happy is a darkly-comedic tale of a young man searching for an exit strategy from life.

Having already garnered a lot of attention online (Mr Happy has been showing up in my Google search for ‘short film’ for almost a week now and has already been featured by music website NME and technology/entertainment site Digital Spy) due to its release in Vice’s I’m Short, Not Stupid series and its headline-grabbing lead star, Mr Happy isn’t exactly a short we can describe as an undiscovered gem. Having made a name for himself through a series of high-profile music videos for the likes of Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and Nicki Minaj to name a few, whilst Tilley isn’t exactly new to the director game, this is his first short film and that transition from music video to narrative short isn’t always an easy one.

At 23-minutes in length, like a lot of the long shorts we feature on Short of the Week, Mr Happy could benefit from a tighter cut and although the conclusion to its narrative feels a little telegraphed, the on-screen presence of Chance and the assured directorial approach of Tilley ensures it stays consistently compelling throughout. Playing the film’s anti-hero Victor, Chance may not portray the subtlety in performance that would be needed for a more serious, dramatic film about depression but his off-kilter vibe and uneasy manner feel perfectly suited to the tone of Tilley’s film. If you wanted to pick holes in the performance, you probably could, but the watchability of Mr Happy owes a lot to its lead star, as his stage persona translates powerfully to screen. To put the credit solely on the shoulders of Chance though would be doing a huge disservice to Tilley, his music video experience obviously serving him well here. As you would expect from a director who has worked on the promos of some of the biggest music artists in the world – the production is flawless, but this isn’t just a case of style over substance as the director has managed to balance style, tone and story in his ambitious short.

Whether this is a brief foray into the short film arena for Tilley only time will tell, but it’s a strong introduction to the world of narrative storytelling from the director and although we love his music video work, lets hope he returns sometime soon.