We chose a track that spoke to Phelps’s intense and turbulent career as he says a final farewell to his fans, the Olympics and, most importantly, the sport he loves.

We juxtaposed the aggressive training visuals with a love song that reflects all that Phelps has been through in his relationship with the sport—the ups and downs, the heartbreak and the regrets—as he puts all of this behind him and lays his legacy on the line to go for one more shot at glory.

“It’s the last goodbye, I swear,

I have no regrets, for the past is behind me,

Tomorrow reminds me just where,

Can’t quite see the end,

How can I rely on my heart if I break it,

With my own two hands,

I heard all you said,

Don’t say anything,

It’s the last goodbye, I swear.”

This film is a last goodbye for an Olympic great—a personal story used to tell a bigger brand message.

It lets us see exactly what Michael Phelps has built his legacy on: a lifetime of going dark and becoming invisible, both literally and metaphorically—a lifetime of training in the relentless pursuit of sporting greatness.

The film is split between an honest portrayal of his psychological and physical journey—cupping, Graston treatments, oxygen chambers, being sick. This is juxtaposed with a shot of an infinite pool as a backbone throughout, which represents his endless pursuit of going dark and becoming invisible to the outside world as he makes his own pilgrimage to his own mecca—the Olympics.

The film work towards the brand message “It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light.”

In 2012, Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time, retired from swimming with 18 gold medals to his name. He retired at the top—the most decorated athlete, in any era, across any sport. What followed was a year of public slip-ups, DUI charges and other misdemeanors.

In 2014 he announced he was coming back out of retirement—something he didn’t need to do—putting his legacy on the line to go for gold again.

This is his final farewell to his triumphant yet turbulent career.