A Spanish commercial for J&B Whiskey is bringing people to tears with its message of love and acceptance.
The holiday ad, which has racked up more than 1 million YouTube views, shows a grandfather in what looks like a rural Spanish village furtively learning how to apply makeup.
He takes a tube of lipstick from his wife’s purse and sneaks into the bathroom to try it on, before wiping it off in frustration because he isn’t sure how to apply it evenly.
In another scene, he buys a palette of eye shadow from his local corner store, despite getting a judgmental look from the clerk. And in another moment, he studies the model in a perfume ad at a bus stop to learn how to apply eyeliner.
After some trial and error, the grandfather studies himself in the mirror, sporting a full face of expertly applied makeup, while a cover of “She,” a song originally released by Charles Azvenour in 1974, plays in the background.
At first, it seems like the commercial is about the grandfather exploring his own identity — but then comes the emotional twist.
His extended family comes over for Christmas dinner, including one grandchild who’s introduced in a caption as “Alvaro, 26 años (years).”
The grandfather invites his relative into the bathroom, where he uses his newfound makeup skills to lovingly transform his grandchild’s look, applying a beautiful, bold red lip, blush and winged eyeliner.
The grandchild returns to the dinner table transformed, appearing to come out to the family as transgender.
“Alvaro” is re-introduced in a caption as “Ana, 26 años.”
The family is surprised at first but a second later, Ana's mother stands and embraces her, moved to tears, and the rest of the family looks on with love and approval.
The commercial deeply touched many viewers.
“What a twist at the end — I couldn’t stop crying,” one person commented on the YouTube video. “If only there was this much love and acceptance in all families and around the world.”
“I literally cannot get through this without bursting into tears,” another person commented, with another person writing, “I am sobbing, this is such a beautiful message.”
The ad resonated personally for many, with one person writing, “I would have given anything to have received acceptance like that when I was growing up. I’m so glad the world is evolving!”