Back to selection
Watch: Nicholas Winding Refn’s Hypnotic Hennessy Ad
Via Nowness comes this 1:44 second Hennessy advertising from Drive director Nicholas Winding Refn. In no less than seven chapters (!), its fragmented narrative is burnished with the hyper-sensuous glow found in the director’s underrated Only God Forgives. From Nowness:
For their most daring campaign to date, Hennessy gave carte blanche to filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn to explore the layered experience of tasting the brand’s classic drink, the Hennessy X.O. “We were given the keys to the kingdom,” says the Only God Forgives director. “It was extremely brave of Hennessy to trust me with so much: For me this is a 90-second feature film.”
Bringing his signature atmospheric approach, honed in films including Drive and Bronson, the Danish director envisions a visceral reimagining of Hennessy’s historic how-to guide. Scored by composer and Red Hot Chili Peppers collaborator Cliff Martinez, the kaleidoscopic film distills the seven tasting notes of the Hennessy X.O—from the initial candied ‘sweet notes’ to the oaky ‘infinite echo’ finale. And there might be a hidden meaning, too. “If you watch the film multiple times there’s a secret you might be able to see,” Refn says. “That’s the fun part, it will take a bit of time but you will find it.
