We open on the mundane which turns out to be an entrée to the profoundly moving in this PSA from Toronto ad agency Lowe Roche. A man looks in the mirror, shaving cream on his face, about to razor away the overnight stubble as he gets ready for another day.
This is the first of several slices of life presented to us. Next he’s running upstairs inside a house, being chased by his young son who’s laughing in delight.
We then see the man on the couch playing with the boy, their bare feet pressed up and pushing against each other’s. Eventually the man uses his legs to hoist the gleeful boy upwards.
Each scene is set to the popular children’s song, “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”
The man is seen dancing with his wife in the living room and then tickling her. Next the boy is holding onto the man’s leg as he “walks” the lad about the house. The portrait of a loving family is coming together in these vignettes, including one in which the man playfully kisses his wife.
However, while the song continues, the action it accompanies takes an abrupt detour as we see the man in a weakened condition, struggling to move about his home. He “eats” through a straw being held by his wife. He can now only watch as his son plays in the house. The wife is then seen shaving her husband and then combs his hair. They exchange a smile in a sign that their love endures even if his physical strength doesn’t.
The man makes an enormous effort just to sit down. Later his son helps him put on his socks.
A super appears on screen which reads, “In two to five years, ALS destroys your body.”
We then see the man is now wheelchair bound, being pushed along by his young son.
A follow-up super informs us that this physical destruction to the body happens “one part at a time” as the “Head and Shoulders” song takes on a new, much sadder meaning.
Finally we see the man in a hospital bed hooked up to life support. His wife is at his side, trying to fight back the tears.
A parting super pleads, “Help us find a cure,” accompanied by the website address www.als.com and the logo for the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease) Society of Canada.
ALS is a rapidly progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease that causes the degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As the nerve cells die, people with ALS lose control of their muscles, which makes breathing, eating and even smiling almost impossible.
Deja Yu Titled “Head and Shoulders,” the pro bono ;60 was directed by John Mastromonaco via Untitled Films, Toronto.
Christina Yu, VP/creative director at Lowe Roche, explained, “We chose to create a spot that was musically and emotionally driven to raise awareness for ALS. This song is one which everybody can relate to and we wanted to use it unconventionally to illustrate how this disease eventually affects every body part.”
This marks the second time that an ALS of Canada spot has been recognized in SHOOT’s “The Best Work You May Never See” gallery. The first came in 2005 for the spot “Hugging” directed by Yael Staav (who’s now at bicoastal Furlined for U.S. representation and Soft Citizen in Canada) for BBDO Toronto. At the time Yu worked on this and another ALS Society spot, “Running,” while serving as an associate creative director/art director at BBDO. “Hugging” went on to win a Cannes Bronze Lion.
Poignancy
Whereas “Hugging” uses poignant humor to convey the impact of ALS, “Head and Shoulders” is an emotionally draining yet moving experience for viewers.
Bobbi Greenberg, who is director of communications for the ALS Society of Canada, assessed, “Lowe Roche has created a very powerful commercial that we think will help the public better understand what ALS is all about. We’re very appreciative of their dedication to this project and of those who donated their time and services during the production process. We’re certain that their efforts will help us raise the funds we desperately need to proceed with research initiatives that will ultimately help us find effective therapies and a cure for this devastating disease.”
