The story is about a young woman and mother that pursues a lifelong dream despite physical limitations: participating in a triathlon. With the support of her family she not only overcomes physical but also emotional boundaries and masters the competition. But no matter how successful she is – an event from the past accompanies her in all the time: through a climbing accident with her daughter she has to wear a prosthetic leg.
Cultural / Context information for the jury
On the official day for people with disabilities, we launched a nearly five-minute long movie that touched the world: "In The Long Run." The story was captured by up-and-coming young director Niclas Larsson and Oscar winner Linus Sandgren ("La La Land") as cameraman.
The film was produced as a long format and unfolds its greatest power as an unconventional content-piece online: 4:47 minutes which give viewers in depth insight to the complex characters and their stories.
For Mercedes-Benz, "In The Long Run" is the start of a new SUV communication strategy which runs under the umbrella idea "All Kinds of Strength". Great human stories are linked with model-specific positionings.
Tell the jury anything relevant about the edit. Do not name the editor.
For the edit the challenge was to find a rhythm that tells the story in a dramatic way - and organically combines the athletic struggle with the inner conflicts of our protagonist. Different emotional passages, different dynamics and quiet passages - everything should be fine-tuned to each other. Especially because we work almost with no dialog but with intimate moments in which feelings are transported silently.
The film begins explosive, decelerates in the middle part, gets faster and faster towards the end to create the biggest possible climax and a surprising twist at the end. Key moments have room to unfold – without being too lengthy or unnatural. The story develops its greatest possible momentum.