Heart Failure is a short EDM musical written and directed by 22-year-old Will Wightman. The film follows Frank as he does his best to save his relationship and stop his heart from breaking completely. Spoilers: he does not do a good job.

Director’s Vision

Heart Failure is the Gen Z musical. No show tunes, no cheesy dance numbers, just one-night stands, messy breakups and house music.

As a lifelong musician, I’ve always felt that the musical genre was a relatively unexplored space. I just think there’s huge potential for stories told through music but so often the whole genre is shrugged off as cheesy and outdated. Injecting a musical with electronic dance music and super contemporary filmmaking was a really exciting combination to me. With platforms like TikTok taking off, and even just the ability to stream your own playlists 24/7, music plays such a massive role in the all-digital world now, so it felt like a great way to get this snapshot of modern youth culture. A Gen-Z musical that you could play in a cinema… and a nightclub.

Given that this project was written, funded and shot in a global pandemic, I’m just amazed it exists at all to be honest. I’m also in total awe of everyone who has helped me make this happen. My hugely talented cast and crew, my very patient family and friends and the hundreds of people who supported our Kickstarter, I feel so lucky. There was a point mid-lockdown where it felt like I’d never get a chance to make anything again, so to have had the opportunity to put all my energy into something I was so excited by in this time is a testament to all the amazing people who have supported it. I hope the film brings you at least a little of the joy it has brought me.