Denne uge [DENNeh oo] (this week) I’d like to share with you a fabulous reklame (commercial) that’s currently making a lot of people laugh in danske biografer (Danish cinemas). It’s called Passageren [passaSHARE-unh] (The Passenger) or Bussen 2 [boosn TOH] (The Bus 2), as it’s the sequel to the 2012 hit commercial Bussen. In case you haven’t seen it yet, slap af (relax) and take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny8r_qGb9io&spfreload=10

A little bit about the cultural background for this film

Danmark is often associated with cykler (bicycles). In the new millennium, however, privatbilisme (”private motoring”) has become a problem. The country is ”fladt som en pandekage” (flat as a pancake), as the saying goes, and it’s very easy to roll out new veje (roads) and motorveje (motorways, freeways). Furthermore, many Danes are quite velhavende (well-to-do) and can afford to have their own bil [beel] (car), even in small families… You do the math! 🙂

This is how many Danes experience the countryside. (Photo by Thomas Angermann at Flickr, CC License.)

Many politikere (politicians) and other people drømmer om (dream about) a country where more people tager cyklen (”take” the bike) or benytter kollektiv transport (peruse ”public transport”, such as busses or trains). This would be a country with less forurening (pollution), and maybe more strangers would talk to each other and become venner (friends) – as you can see in the film! 😉

”Passageren” was made by Midttrafik (”Middle Traffic”), the main bus [booss] (bus) company in Midtjylland (Central Jutland). Their aim, of course, is to make more people take their busser to places like Lystrup – a suburb to Århus/Aarhus.

The film also jokes about the feeling many Danes have of being kedelig (dull or trivial), living lives that are just as organized and ”dry” as the stereotypcial madpakke (packed lunch) of rugbrød med spegepølse (rye bread with salami). If you buy a bus ticket, however, you can have an interesting personlighed (personality), cool sko (shoes) and an exotic kæreste (girlfriend) who thinks your packed lunch is a gourmetmadpakke!