Marcell Lobenwein explores the turbulent relationship between two friends, in the musical short film MISS U XO, in collaboration with musician Tom Ashbrook.

Following the relationship through a major move, as well as the various minutiae of everyday life, the painterly scenes develop into a timeline of intimate moments, exploring the love, frustration and fear that come with every relationship. 

The use of real friends as subjects for the video adds to the authenticity of the concept, whilst the contrast of manmade environments against natural backdrops elevates the contrast between the emotions that run throughout. 

"The film features scenes from the turbulent relationship of two close friends of mine," says Lobenstein. "We started filming in the summer of 2020, in Budapest, Hungary. Back then, Laura and Martin were still living together in a small apartment, and I set out to do a quick film about them - mostly just to have as a stand-alone impression of that time in their lives. After the shoot my editor and I couldn’t figure out a way to edit the material together in a cohesive way, so we left it on the shelf for about a year.

"Eventually I found a way to make a rough cut, inspired by a song that got recommended to me on Spotify. This was Tom Ashbrook’s amazing song, titled Klass. I quickly reached out on Instagram to ask for the rights, and Tom and his team ended up being very receptive to the film. We discussed suplementing it with scenes of where Laura and Martin’s relationship is now.

"In the meanwhile, they had moved to the coast of France. So me and a friend picked up a camera and drove about fifteen hours to Marseille, and spent a few days following them around. These were some of the best days I’ve ever spent filming, and I’m so thankful for all the help I received."