Zara Holiday 2021 Ad Campaign

Review of Zara Holiday 2021 Ad Campaign by Director Luca Guadagnino with Talents John C. Reilly, Alex Wolff, Hailey Gates, Samia Benazzouz, Chloe Park, Valerio Santucci, Francesca Figus, Tania Hanyoung Park, and Shi Yang Shi

Zara invests big in holiday magic with a heartwarming new short(ish) film by director Luca Guadagnino.

Best known for Call Me By Your Name, the director oversees an impressive cast, including John C. Reilly as Santa trying to take a much-needed year off, Alex Wolff as a wandering musical vagabond, and Hailey Gates as a high-strung, rather scrooge-like hotel clerk.

These characters’ lives intersect at a sophisticated Swiss ski chalet, where they each come seeking their own meaning for the holiday season. Reilly’s retired Santa character anchors the plot as he begrudgingly helps a young girl, adorably played by newcomer Chloe Park, find the Christmas magic that she doesn’t believe her overworked parents are able to provide.

Meanwhile, unexpected romance blossoms between the hotel’s staff and guests, despite (or perhaps because of) the holiday hijinks that ensue in the hallways.

An excellent score by Alberto Iglesias keeps the energetic tension always moving propulsively forward, underscoring the moments of magic and romance with appropriately twinkling atmospheres. The cinematography also helps to create a strong sense of mood, with impressive shots that make excellent use of the hotel location’s different spaces.

The film represents a strong move in Zara’s ongoing push to elevate their brand identity and marketing communications. We’ve seen them create excellent campaign films with iconic fashion image maker Fabien Baron, but this short film, as a veritable piece of standalone cinema, takes things to another level. If the high-caliber cast and crew wasn’t enough to seal the deal, the genuinely heartwarming story and visual magic of the resulting film definitely does.

Much like John C. Reilly’s Santa, we’ve had an exhausting few years, and we weren’t sure whether the over-commercialized magic of the holidays would be enough to reignite that spark of joy and wonder – but Zara reminds us that love is always worth celebrating.