Anyone who’s seen Charlotte Wells’ film Aftersun will be aware of her talent for emotional devastation. But will the Scottish director do the same with an advert for porridge?

Well, we jest, but it is rather moving stuff – the ad is one of those epic affairs in which we follow two characters, in this case a father and son, over a long period. The dad and lad bond over serves of Quaker porridge through various life events, including the day the son becomes a father himself. One day, his dad’s chair is empty… and the son is sharing porridge with his own offspring. Oof.

Wells’ flair is evident in the use of a clanking bowls motif, and a heartstring-pulling use of flashback.

This is a Canadian ad, but could easily be retooled for global markets with a bit of voiceover work, and would surely pack the same punch the world over.

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