Greatest. Ad. Ever.
Don’t know what else to say. How about “wow”?
Help me out, Seth Stevenson:
Helmed by Academy Award-nominated director Alejandro González Iñárritu, the spot is a frenzy of quick-cut, hyperspeed storytelling. Like Iñárritu’s movies (Babel, 21 Grams, Amores Perros), the ad jumps lithely among multiple plotlines. But while Iñárritu’s feature films often substitute temporal disorientation for a well-devised narrative, and soapy melodrama for gravitas, here the bouncy mood and compacted running time are a perfect match for the director’s over-the-top impulses.
As a fan of his films, I was wondering what González Iñárritu had been up to. I am pretty sure no one else could have directed this commercial but him. This is a three-minute epic: when I hear “eternity in the palm of your hand,” I’ll think of this. Or maybe “anatomic precision” is better.
The ad doesn’t make me want to buy Nike products, but it does put me in the mood for the Cup. (By watching a few games, though, I may be subliminally endorsing Nike as a result anyway.) As an American abroad removed from the usual apathy of my fellow citizens, I think I’m discovering more about what people mean by “citizen of the world.” I’m not haughty enough to label myself as such, but this ad instills something in me. It’s not a love for the technical aspects of the game itself; it’s more of a desire to feel like a part of something that most of the world is also partaking in — a desire not to feel left out.
This ad may not bowl over American audiences, even with the clear cultural references. Still, is it possible that a widespread lack of interest in soccer says less about our sporting tastes and more about the vaunted place that we assume for granted among the global community?
Whatever the answer, you need to lack a pulse not to be excited by this mini-film. Let the ball roll.
