Monday, August 17, 2009

A Touching Car Commercial (Taiwan)

My kids are all at camp this week. Although it is only a week, I missed them. This Taiwan-made video is a car commercial, that creatively blends in the Chinese cultural affirmation of fatherly love, and the universal human need for affection. For some of you, this may bring a tear. For those of us who need translation, I have included a brief synopsis below.



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This is about a girl, reflecting on her growing up years. It begins with the daughter making a phone call saying that due to work commitments, she could not return home that weekend. She goes on to narrate her father's faithful efforts to fetch her to school, waiting at the provision shop to personally pick her up, just to make sure that she knows the way home. Memories of her riding behind on her father's bicycle, as well as times when she enjoys her favorite Popsicle. As the daughter grows up, graduates and gets a decent job, the father's faithfulness remains. It culminates in a startling contrast in lifestyles and transportation methods. The one thing that never changes, is the commitment of the father to wait for his daughter. The final scene fast forwards to another phone call. This time, the daughter calls back again saying she wants to go home, this time driving back in her new car. Despite her asking her father not to bother, the father continues to wait at the same old place, apparently concerned that his daughter might get lost. The daughter was concerned about how long her father had waited. It doesn't matter to the old man. He is glad that his daughter's home.

As expected, the commercial squeezes in the name of the car that helps bring all together, but for me, the name of the car is furthest from my mind. It is that family love. With Willie Nelson's song on the background, the melancholic video clip blends the emotions well.

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ks

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