South African self-published author Phumlani Pikoliwore his heart on his sleeve on his debut collection of short stories, The Fatuous State of Severity. The book, which came out last year, explored, among other things, mental illness, class and race. The stories in the book are told in traditional prose and grimy comic strips.

A new edition of The Fatuous State of Severity will be published by Pan Macmillan in February 2018. And because Pikoli is a modern author, he also uses video to expand on the stories from his collection.

The latest story to get the film treatment is "To Shy Away in Silence," from The Fatuous State of Severity. The story was first published in 2015.

On the short film, titled "Our Lives Are Bought," we hear Pikoli soliloquizing about his life, while we see him struggling to know what to do with himself in his house.

"The film explores classed ideas around boredom and giving meaning to one's life," says Pikoli.

Watch the film below, follow Pikoli on Twitter and visit his website for PDF and audio versions of The Fatuous State of Severity.