Chloe Zhao Directed A Super Bowl Ad And It's As Majestic As You'd Expect

Director Chloé Zhao has become synonymous with sweeping landscapes and altogether breathtaking cinematography thanks to her film "Nomadland," and she recently took those talents to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the cosmic, millennia-spanning "Eternals." Considering that dramatic turn of events, it should come as no surprise that the prolific filmmaker was enlisted to make an emotional and gripping Super Bowl commercial for Budweiser — and yes, it gives us those already-classic Chloé Zhao vibes.

The beer company debuted the visual on its official Instagram account on Wednesday, February 2, over a week before game day arrives on February 13. "This Super Bowl we have one message for America: In the home of the brave, down never means out," the brand captioned the one-minute visual.

In the commercial, a golden retriever and a horse live together on a rancher's farm. The dog watches over the horse as it gallops across their open land, but panics when the horse trips over a fence and injures its leg. The horse is bandaged up but struggling, and the dog still watches over the animal, silently guarding it as the horse's human owners tend to its wound. The winter passes, and finally, when the cold breaks, the dog and the owners go to the stable once again. The horse tries, and struggles, to stand. Finally, the animal exits the stable as the dog looks on proudly, and breaks into a forceful gallop once more with the dog at its side.

There's no denying this Super Bowl commercial has Zhao's signature style all over it — and it's obvious that is the reason she was selected for the task. As demonstrated in "Nomadland" — which takes place in many stunning locations across the southwest United States — the Oscar-winning filmmaker has a knack for making sweeping, vast natural beauties look as breathtaking on screen as they do in person. You know that feeling you get when you're in the presence of something beautiful and of the Earth. Zhao seems to have been able to bottle up that feeling, and she employs it here with this short visual.

Aside from our horse and dog duo, the real star of the show here is the enormous ranch on which the horse runs to his glory, and also succumbs to his hubris (conceivably, anyway). The shots are incredible, and they highlight both the majesty of the animal and the scope of the land. It makes her touch on the piece obvious, but not in a way that overshadows the message. In short, it's what a good commercial should be; no surprise Chloé Zhao is good at those, too.