"Take the First Step"

28 April 2022

90s

Wash away the pain.

This clever ad for the Flemish Centre for Suicide Prevention unfolds in a car wash of all places. As the two occupants settle in for the next 90" or so, we learn both have a lot on their minds—they just can't bring themselves to talk out loud.

The subtitles that follow tell the stories of two men: one who's felt terrible for months and can no longer see a way out, and one who suspects something is wrong but can only switch on the radio in turn. It's here where the car wash setting comes into its own.

You suspect that once those wipers are done and the suds are gone, the conversation that has to happen will never happen. The relief is palpable when it does (accompanied by a loud burst of Victor Uwaifo's 'Happy Day from Me to You'), and caps off a timely insight into male reticence.

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