Thanks to AirPods 4 with noise cancellation, actor Pedro Pascal beats heartbreak and the big city’s wintry deep freeze in the colorful new Spike Jonze short film Someday.
Jonze’s second ad for Apple, the new short released Tuesday evokes what an immersive listening experience can do, waking memories of better times — and stirring hope for better ones to come.
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Colorful new Spike Jonze short film Someday stars Pedro Pascal and AirPods 4
After putting out a teaser trailer last week, Apple posted the new video Tuesday on its YouTube channel, where the 5:36-minute film racked up tens of thousands of views in no time. (You can watch it below.) This follows Jonze‘s (Being John Malkovich, Her) first ad for Apple, a multi-award-winning short about HomePod entitled Welcome Home, which came out in 2018.
The new short, Someday, follows Pascal (The Mandalorian, Narcos) as he mopes through life in the biggest city during an icy winter storm. He leaves a cafe, turning back at the last moment to look forlornly upon a woman at a table he apparently just vacated.
She looks back but then away. It seems like a breakup. He walks down a coldly bustling street, putting in his AirPods 4. As soon as he taps them for noise cancellation, the roar of the city fades as music swells.
Silencing the city with AirPods 4
As Pascal walks, his presence seems to repel bundled up passersby (aka dancers). Someone stops him to ask directions to the train station, so he taps his buds again, making the city noise return. But the rude guy makes him wait while he looks at his phone to verify Pascal’s directions. That’s when Pascal sees himself a few blocks away, chatting excitedly with friends on a bright, warm day.
From there Pascal begins to dance, with pretty much everyone else in the frame. They pass through neighborhoods and seasons, moving from spring through summer and fall, with explosions of color dressing up the set design.
Whenever Pascal puts in his AirPods 4 and activates noise cancellation, the city sounds fade as music rises. The music, by the way, is “Conticinio” by Guitarricadelafuente, first, and then “Perfect” by Sam i & Tropkillaz (featuring Bia & MC Pikachu).
By the end, back on the icy street, the distracted guy asking for directions moves on. And a meaningful look passes between bundled-up Pascal and his summer self in the distance, as if to say, someday this, too, shall pass. Pascal walks with a smile and his noise-canceling AirPods 4 among the dancing urbanites in the wintry cityscape.
Watch Spike Jonze’s AirPods 4 ad Someday
Apple's trend-setting earbuds add noise cancellation to the mix. They don't use silicone tips, so some noise seeps in, but features like Adaptive Audio, Transparency Mode and Personalized Spatial Audio make them a winner.
- Excellent sound quality
- Apple's H2 chip enables advanced features
- USB-C wireless charging case
- Noise cancellation isn't as good as AirPods Pro
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
