No
Review by Anthony Morris
The year is 1988, and Chilean dictator Pinochet, who seized power in a military coup in 1973, has decided to legitimise his rule by putting it to a vote: yes if you want him to stay in power, no if you want there to be free elections.
The ‘No’ camp is made up of a wide group of opposition parties, some of whom think even participating is propping up Pinochet while others believe they should run a campaign based on reminding people of the horrors of his regime.
Gun advertising creative René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal) is offered the job of running their campaign and accepts, despite his conservative boss first siding with then taking on the pro-government campaign.
Saavedra’s approach is to go positive and make voting No a positive step towards bring Chile into the 80s.
It’s a tough sell to his side, but the combination of upbeat messages and news reports telling the uncensored story of what is happening in Chile soon prove popular. Which may not be the best thing when you’re running against a government not above murdering its opponents.
Director Pablo Larraín used vintage 80s cameras and film to re-create the look of the time (and to make it easier to integrate footage from the period, such as commercials and news footage), and while the look of a shoddy VHS tape takes a little getting used to, it’s a very effective means of setting the scene.
It’s a gripping tale of people struggling to make a difference in a climate where it’d be easier to just accept the status quo, but it’s also an interesting look at the power of advertising, as the same techniques used to sell soft drink or soap stars – techniques that look laughably out-of-touch to us today – are the same as the ones used to sell freedom.
Smart and gripping, No is a film it’s easy to say yes to.
4 out of 5
No
Australian release: 18th April, 2013
Cast: Gael García Bernal
Director: Pablo Larraín
