Get ready to enter Candyland, a one-of-a-kind short film written and directed by a Jouri Smit, (one half of Black Dog‘s newest directing duo with Gitte Meldgaard) that breaks the boundaries between fashion cinema and social issues.  The 19-minute silent piece created in collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana reveals, to devastating effect, the emerging epidemic of prescription drug abuse.

Candyland is a realistic fictional narrative that tracks a typical day in the life of a young LA producer, played by actor and D&G model, Noah Mills. At first glance, he has it all: a successful career, magazine-worthy looks and style, and a beautiful girlfriend.  Outwardly, his drug abuse is masked with a seemingly glamorous lifestyle, while inside, he quietly self-destructs.  For Jack, prescription pills are a way to survive everyday existence, popping a mix of pharmaceuticals – Adderall, Ritalin, Xanax, Vicodin, or Viagra – for whatever the occasion calls for.

Jouri Smit deftly pulls the viewer into the headspace of the main character via the unlikely and brave narrative choice to create a completely silent film. The silence is a compelling force in guiding Candyland’s passenger-seat experience, leading us into Jack’s harrowing downward spiral with vivid visuals and an emotional performance.

The filmic collaboration with D&G is the first of its kind to expand upon the concept of high-fashion film as a venue to not only delivers cinematic, high-gloss visuals, but to lift the veil on the larger social issues underneath the veneer. As a fashion house synonymous with glamour, Candyland brings a refreshing humanity and substance to the D&G brand, addressing the greater epidemic happening worldwide, but specifically, turning the lens on a lifestyle rampant in the fashion and film industries.