We all fantasize about marrying our moms. Don't we? DnB NOR, Norway's largest bank, posits that incestuous scenario in this memorably uncomfortable spot from ad agency Try/Apt in Oslo—a follow-up to the bank's great George Clooney spot from last year. Director Martin Werner's style is quasi-David Lynch, owing to the bleak, forlorn location ("Heyberkerkie," where wacky marriages are apparently legal) and the great off-kilter performances, particularly by the son, who conveys a distracted air of petulance without saying a word. The English subtitles heighten the Lynchian effect. Middle-aged Mom assures us that she has two husbands "on paper" only (who'd think otherwise?), while subtly twisted flashbacks show that as a kid, the now-grown son wanted to marry his parents, live with them forever, and use his savings to go to Mars and hand out ice cream. (At least he had ambition.) The family is now in the process of building a frozen-snack-laden rocketship (incredible Oedipals!) from discarded airplane parts and assorted other scrap. Ultimately, we're warned not to always give our children what they want, but provide what they need—in this case, a Children's House Savings Account from DnB NOR. I dunno—seems to me Norway needs therapists more than bankers. It's much saner here in America, where banks just make you put up your mom as collateral.
 |  |