Creative Director's Cut: Canal+ and BETC Paris' creative brilliance in 'Papa?'

David and Victoria.
Jack and Vera.
And Canal+ and BETC Paris.

They are the power couples who we all look at wistfully, wantonly, and jealously for the love they share, and who we all know are going to make beautiful and successful babies. And they have. (Except for maybe Jack and Vera, Terry was a wrong’un. RIP).

The prolific genius, and clearly amazing relationship and trust they have (talking about Canal+ and BETC now, btw), is one I think we can all strive for. And why wouldn’t we? I’d count ‘The Wardrobe’ and ‘Unicorns’ (and ‘The Set’ and ‘The Fan’ for that matter) as some of my favourite advertising films of recent times, maybe ever.

So, preamble over, it’s always exciting to see the next, and ‘Papa’ once again leaves me pondering how Meanwhile can cultivate such fruitful relationships, for that is the dream.

It may not be the huge production that has become something of a staple, but the giant build-up in drama and the huge, reductive, rug-pull remain - exquisitely so.

The formula after perhaps 15 years, shows no sign of tiredness either, and probably no longer even requires a logo on the end as it’s so familiar.

Now, I could bore you with how amazing the casting is, how sharp the writing is, and something wanky about cinematography, but I won’t. I’d simply encourage you to watch, learn and enjoy.

Or as they say in France, “où est la boulangerie?” (That was my comedic rug-pull, btw).