Last year, Budweiser sat out its traditional Super Bowl commercial buy and donated instead to COVID-19 vaccine awareness efforts. But this year, the brewer’s back in a big way for the Big Game — by tapping an Oscar winner.

Academy Award-winning Nomadland director Chloe Zhao called the shots on the spot, titled A Clydesdale’s Journey, which follows one of the beer brand’s trademark horses “as it fights through setbacks and overcomes challenges, embodying the continued resilience of the people of America.”

The dramatic ad shows the titular horse hobbled by an injury, as well as its road to recovery with his faithful golden retriever pal by his side.

As “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays in the background, the horse struggles to get back on his feet repeatedly, eventually breaking into a gallop as an electric guitar shreds. 

“In the home of the brave, down never means out,” a title card reads. 

According to Budweiser, the spot reminds viewers “that while the country has faced numerous challenges throughout its history, the steadfastness of the American spirit will allow us to recover from hardship, continue rebuilding and come back stronger than ever before.”

Eternals director Zhao was tapped because “her work often depicts true American grit and journeys of self-discovery through a deeply human lens,” Budweiser explained.

Super Bowl LVI, featuring the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals versus the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, is on Sunday, February 13.