People spot ‘anxiety-inducing’ John Lewis Christmas advert’s secret link to ‘saddest film to ever exist’

John Lewis’ newest Christmas advert is once again leading to people across the UK being left in floods of tears, however many fans are shocked by just how ‘anxiety-inducing’ the newest advert is.

John Lewis’ Christmas advert is a uniquely British tradition, with many considering its release to be the first true sign that we are in the festive season.

This year’s advert focuses on a father and son, with the son watching anxiously as his dad unwraps a present for him, transporting him to his old days as he finds an old vinyl record.

Despite the heartwarming message as the Dad is reminded of his son as a young boy, many on social media have found it to be anxiety-inducing in part due to its secret link to the ‘saddest film to ever exist’.

Watch the Christmas advert below to see if you can spot what has got everyone talking:

One viewer tweeted regarding the advert: “The John Lewis Christmas advert reminds me so much of the nightclub scene in Aftersun, aka the saddest film to ever exist.”

For those who felt anxious watching the advert but were unable to figure out why, this may reveal the real reason.

Aftersun follows a young woman looking back on a holiday she took with her dad, played by Paul Mescal.

The climactic scene of the film sees her at a rave connecting her current experience to her dancing with her dad to Queen and David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’.

It's heavily implied her dad is no longer in her life as an adult, and he is shown to be struggling with mental health issues throughout the film.

The scene from Aftersun is very similar to the John Lewis advert (A24)

The scene is shot in an incredibly similar way to the John Lewis advert, with one viewer tweeting: “The John Lewis advert was definitely inspired by Aftersun. Thought we wouldn’t notice but… we did.”

Another tweeted: “The John Lewis xmas ad having an Aftersun 'Under Pressure' moment wait.”

Journalist Harry Wallop compared the advert to Adolescence, adding: “Yes, it's the first time John Lewis has featured a father-son relationship in 18 years.

“And it's all very anxiety-inducing.”

The advert may be wholesome and christmassy but it's left many viewers racked with anxiety (John Lewis)

Rosie Hanley, Director of Brand for John Lewis, said of the advert to Little Black Book online: “This year more than ever the music plays a massive role in the ad.

“The music kind of is the ad in a way. It's the story, it's the emotion. It brings that 1990s nostalgia that it also brings, a really fresh take on it.

“It not only talks to our 50-year-old dad. But it talks to his 18-year-old son, that intergenerational connection and that ability for a gift to form that connection.”

She went on to add: “I think it's really back to that customer insight that we have had right from the very first brief which is that as a nation we struggle to explain how we feel and Christmas is the time of year when we try and listen.”