"Enlightened"

This ad is an ad for a show called "Enlightened" on HBO, though you can probably get that from reading it. I remember first seeing this ad in the subway and immediately being intrigued by what this ad was about. I knew it was probably some sort of show or movie because of the quality of the image - it kind of has that sharp documentary-like quality to it, one I recognize a lot in HBO television shows. Anyway, I went home and ended up watching the pilot episode and loving it. The show hasn't completed its first season yet, there have been 6 aired episodes, but I think the viewer has gotten a pretty good idea of what this show is about. And I also think this promotional ad gives a lot of insight into what it's about, as well.

First off, the image is a closeup of a woman's face. Clearly she is either sad, or angry, or emotionally distressed, probably all of those things. Her makeup is running, her eyebrows are furrowed and the way her mouth looks gives her even more of a sense of anger (she makes this face all the time in the show). Now the funny part is the contrast between the tagline and the title of the show compared to the image shown. The italicized "Meet the new face of tranquility" completely contradicts the face of Amy, anything but tranquil, in fact, quite the opposite. The italicized tagline definitely gives a calming feel, an airy like quality that is meant to be the opposite of what is shown in the image. Then the title of the show, "Enlightened" has a casual and fading green font that gives off a sense of tranquility, serenity, a calming feel, which basically mirrors the meaning and actual feel of the definition of  'enlightened'. The colors used in the ad aren't necessarily pretty, and they don't really 'pop' either, they're more subdued and gloomy, very gritty. The green brick wall behind Amy almost seems like that of a bathroom, a jail room or an office building, somewhere constrained, somewhere that makes you feel trapped.

The show itself definitely resonates with this ad, because the first episode shows Amy at one of the worst points in her life. She has a breakdown at work, screams and threatens her boss and ups going to a retreat in Hawaii for her anger issues. The whole show is about Amy coming from from treatment, 'completely changed', with a different view on the world, only to realize she's been demoted at her old job, her husband is still doing drugs, her 'friends' don't like her and she's constantly getting in fights and arguments with her mom. Every episode shows some sort of struggle to 'enlightenment', but it isn't pretty and it isn't easy or clean cut, and I think this ad shows that perfectly.