"Reconnecting"

19 October 2023

90s

Is anybody there?

Former EastEnders actor Louisa Lytton stars in this fraught commercial for the NSPCC. Based on a real letter sent to the charity, the ad opens with Lytton’s new mum on the sofa, with a baby bottle on the table and an indifferent phone by her side ("No one phones any more to talk to you. Everyone just messages").

Words on a screen do little to help—if anything, they make it harder to remember how to have a conversation. She becomes stranded in her own thoughts, "a deep, dark abyss" that cuts her off from her partner, her baby, and everyone else.

Before she sinks any further, the woman—in what feels like a Hail Mary effort—takes her child to the local shop and stands in front of the chilled section. There she waits, hopeful that someone will reach out and ask if she's OK. When it happens, it's a welcome reminder that the world still cares.

Plenty of care has been taken with the subject of postnatal mental health, while Lytton's performance is full of pain, tenderness, and sincerity. Parents who recognise themselves or others in the protagonist are encouraged to contact the advertised charity.

UK

Charities