Stephen Graham Channels Grief Into Light in Myles Smith’s ‘Hold Me in the Dark’
Singer-songwriter Myles Smith steps behind the camera for the first time, writing and directing the video for his single ‘Hold Me in the Dark’, a short, cinematic narrative starring Stephen Graham, produced by Partizan.
The film follows a father, played by Stephen, through the final hours he spends with his dying daughter. Each evening he returns to his flat and works obsessively on a construction of mirrors and coloured fragments, building toward something only he fully understands. From the outside, the ritual looks like a man unravelling; in truth, it is the one thing holding him together. As the song rises, he carries the finished piece to a rooftop and, as the sun aligns, sends light spilling across the city - a final act of love, and the song’s title turned outward into image.
Rather than leaning on spectacle, the film stays close to its central character. Shot by cinematographer Joel Honeywell, it moves between the muted remove of the hospital, the claustrophobic loop of the flat and the open expanse of the rooftop, using natural light and a slow accumulation of colour to track the father’s emotional state. Production design by Syd Harmony grounds the mirror-and-light build as both a practical and an emotional object, while a restrained central performance from Graham keeps the focus on grief, ritual, and the fear of disappearing.
A British singer-songwriter from Luton, Myles broke through in 2024 with the platinum-selling single ‘Stargazing’, won the 2025 BRITs Rising Star Award and released his debut album on Friday 19th June. ‘Hold Me in the Dark’ sees him take creative control of the visual world around his music for the first time, carrying the emotional directness of his songwriting into a new medium.
Stephen is joined on screen by Abbie Kay Ashworth and Chizzy Akudolu as well as real working nurses from Luton Hospital, with casting by Kharmel Cochrane. The film was produced by Partizan, with executive producers Danny Herman, Kirsty Richardson and Hannah Walters.
Speaking about the film and the process, Myles said, “What I loved about this concept was the misdirection. At first, you think you’re watching someone unravel, but slowly you realise every strange object and every seemingly irrational decision is actually an act of love. He’s not losing his grip on reality; he’s trying to do something impossible for the person he loves most.”
For Partizan, the shoot was as much about process as the finished film. Working with a director making his first film calls for a different kind of collaboration - pairing a singular, personal vision with an experienced crew, led by cinematographer Joel Honeywell and production designer Syd Harmony, and building a set where Smith could lead while leaning on the department heads around him.
Executive producer Danny Herman added, “Working with a first-time director is a completely different rhythm. Myles arrived with a really clear, personal vision and it’s obviously his song, so the feeling was already there and our job was to build the right team around him and protect that vision all the way to the screen. Myself and producer Chris Murdoch assembled a gang of our favourite HoD’s, people we knew would bring the right experience, creativity and care to the project, while helping make it feel as special as it deserved to be. When you get that kind of synergy on set, where everyone’s serving the same idea, a debut can feel as assured as anything we make.”
Stephen Graham, who plays the father, said, "When you're involved in a production like this, especially for a first-time director, it's important to come with an open-mindedness and a willingness to partake completely, a million per cent. For me, it's imperative that I'm one piece of a beautiful jigsaw every time I embark on any project. It was an absolute team game, and a joy to be part of that collective."
Produced by Partizan, the film is an assured first step behind the camera for an artist already known for the emotional honesty of his music.
