A Dream Romance Becomes a Nightmare in This Perfectly Surreal Anti-Abuse PSA

A powerful new animated PSA seeks to fight insidious forms of abuse in teen relationships using a classic song, "Walkin' on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. The irrepressibly upbeat song serves as a perfect foil for a 2:43 minute video that follows the course of a head-over-heels romance that quickly deteriorates into a nightmare. Day One, a nonprofit dedicated to combating sexual abuse and supporting its victims, created the clip, titled "Sunshine," with BBDO New York and director Guilherme Marcondes. It features engrossing visuals that bring to life a teen girl's emotional journey as she's swept up in the new relationship, and then as it spirals out. Woven into the happier portions at the outset are subtle warning signs that her Romeo might have some deep flaws. It turns out he's not just a preening narcissist. He's controlling, possessive and violently jealous. [kickout id="1"] The point is to highlight that not all forms of abuse are physical. Emotional and verbal abuse count, too. The impact of that warning is maximized through the deft integration of surreal elements, like shadowy tentacles that sprout from the boyfriend's back when he's storming off after spilling a drink on himself—and blaming the girl for it. Later, the tendrils return, to pull her further into a dark underworld. The fantastical elements also serve to play up the idea that gaslighting can be a common issue in such relationships, leaving victims questioning their reality, and whether they are even being abused. In the end, though, the ad feels more like an actual music video, with a powerful—and useful—message, than like a scolding or doomsaying PSA. That lighthearted but honest—and substantive—approach hopefully might help it actually get through to its intended target, kids ages 16-19. One in three teens report experiencing some kind of abuse in their romantic relationships, according to Day One. The organization is promoting the video in the lead up to Valentine's Day, seeking to capitalize on increased interest around relationships. CREDITS Client: Day One Spot: "Sunshine" Agency: BBDO New York Chief Creative Officer, Worldwide: David Lubars Chief Creative Officer, New York: Greg Hahn Head of Production, New York: David Rolfe Executive Creative Director: Danilo Boer Executive Creative Director: Marcos Kotlhar Associate Creative Director: Bianca Guimaraes Creative Director: Kevin Mulroy Executive Producer: Sofia Handler Junior Producer: Molly Ross Director of Music: Rani Vaz Assistant Account Executive: Byant Lim Influencer Managers: Lucy Bennett &amp; Sami Kriegstein Animation: LOBO Executive Producer: Luis Ribeiro, Alberto Lopes, Sergio Salles Global Head of Production: Loic François Marie Dubois Creative Director: Mateus de Paula Santos Director: Guilherme Marcondes Producer: Aron Matschulat Aguiar Coordinators: Michelle Vinotti, Clara Morelli Production Assistants: Gabriela Leal, Lorenzo Di Pace Art Director: Felipe Jornada Concept Artists: João Lavieri, Felipe Jornada, Rômulo de Oliveira, Wilson Panassi Storyboard: Antonio Soares Neto, Vinicius Barros CG Director: Olavo Chagas Modelling: Milton Dias, Frederico Martins, Diego Esteves, Eiti Sato, Daniel Adami, Felipe Bassi, Leo Rezende, Marcel Fukuwara Lead Rigging: Flavio Castello Rigging: Alexandre Marassa, Felipe Gimenes Animation Supervisor: Leonardo Cadaval Previs: Lucas Peres Animators: Andrea Delfino, Bruno Carias, Bruno Hamzagic, Daniel Alvite, Daniel Bahia, Daniel Vasconcellos, Janaina Bonacelli, Jorge Zagatto, Leonardo Cadaval, Marcelo Zanin, Marcio Nicolosi, Raphael Vinicius Seixas Silva, Renato Sena, Rodrigo Souza, Ronaldo Brito, Ste Kajimoto, Thiago Martins, Victor Fernandes Lookdev & Render: Olavo Chagas, Milton Dias, Diego Esteves, Rafael Migliorini Lead Compositor: Bruno Ferrari Compositors: Diogo Girondi, Nara Andrade, Renato Trippi, Guilherme Sarinho VFX: Lucas Stinguetti VFX 2D: Fernando Chan Editor: Aron Matschulat Aguiar Assistant Editor: Eduardo Lopes R&D: Giovanni Meneghel, Cláudia Fujiwara, Vedran Sinobad, Diana Naranjo Pomalaya Technical Support: Cadu Penacchin, Weslley Oliveira, Mateus Ruiz Audio Finishing: Sonic Union Sound Mixer: Steve Rosen Color Grade: Company 3 Colorist: Sofie Borup Color Producer: Alexandra Lubrano