No Reviews

this is a very interesting film. the acting was wonderful and the dialogue very well written. as historical dramas go, this film was far more historical than it was drama, almost to the point of feeling like a documentary, but it carried enough interesting thematic elements and social commentary to make it very worthwhile.

With a magnetic performance by Bernal and appropriately filmed in videotape to recreate the looks of back then, this is an intensely engaging and thrilling account of an important episode of Chilean history and how dictatorship was defeated by a lot of courage and struggle.

In 1988, after fifteen years of one man rule, Chilean President Augusto Pinochet is forced by international pressure to accede to a plebiscite as to whether he is deserving of another eight year term. Lucho Guzman(Alfredo Castro), an advertising executive, has agreed to work for the yes side. He so believes in his cause that he does not even like his subordinate Rene(Gael Garcia Bernal) talking with Jose Tomas Urrutia(Luis Gnecco) who may or may not be a Communist but is definitely working for the no side to which Rene agrees to work for.

Set at a pivotal point in Chile's history, "No" shows not only how advertising actually managed to do some good for a change but also how it turned a negative to a positive, convincing Chile's population of the need for peaceful revolution, with a lot of inspiration coming from 'We Are the World.' Surprisingly, nobody goes that far below the belt in this year of Willie Horton. In any case, I have to agree with a recent New York Times article in wondering if it cannot possibly be this simple, as there is plenty of history here but no politics, as advertising shows the clueless leftists how it is all done. On the other hand, as much as Rene becomes enlightened over the course of the film, we do get many more scenes of him being a dutiful single father. I mean I love model train sets as much as the next guy but...

Chile, 1988. Under pressure from the west, the ruling General Pinochet calls a referendum on whether he should remain in power for a further eight years. The numerous opposition groups work together in their campaign against the dictator and are labelled "Communists", regardless of their political leanings. In the weeks leading to the vote, the "Yes" and "No" campaigns are allotted 15 minutes of TV time each evening to put across their message. With the TV networks under the control of Pinochet, the "No" campaign's 15 minutes take on huge importance. A young advertising man (Bernal) is hired to lead the campaign against the wishes of his agency's head (Castro) who is working for the opposing "Yes" campaign.
The disparities of 'No' are as great as those which existed between the ruling and working classes of Pinochet's Chile. Larrain's film tells its hi-fi story in a lo-fi manner, like a biopic of Michael Bay directed by Robert Altman. The flashy (for 1988) nature of Bernal's American-inspired commercials are in stark contrast to the old-school video (think Altman's 1988 campaign expose 'Tanner 88') employed by Larrain. Bernal's character is the son of a left-wing dissident while Larrain's own father was a right-wing "Yes" voter. To the dismay of his socialist clients, Bernal sells their ideals with the same techniques he employs to flog Soap-Operas and Coke knock-offs. Rather than hiring a songwriter to compose an "anthem" for the campaign, Bernal uses a jingle-writer. (The jingle will be stuck in your head for days after seeing the film.)
Apart from a helpful scroll over the credits to explain the backstory, 'No' refuses to pander to its audience. You're either on board or you aren't. I for one was gripped from beginning to end. The lo-fi video format is jarring for a couple of minutes but, ultimately, it's a brilliant decision, one which transports you back to its era far more impressively than the Top-40 tunes and retro beards of the similarly themed 'Argo'. The images blend in perfectly with archive footage of the time without resorting to cheesy 'Forrest Gump' tricks. When Bernal gets caught up in a riot, it's a terrifying moment because it looks so authentic.
The great film-makers can take a big theme and distill it down to a smaller, more recognizable one. Against a larger backdrop, Larrain tells a simple story of an employee attempting to get one over on his boss. The relationship between the two is fascinating. Despite Castro at times threatening Bernal's family, the level of animosity simmers somewhere below the level of two co-workers who support rival football teams. It's a stark, and wholly refreshing, contrast to the black-and-white characterization rampant in modern cinema. Blunt self-congratulatory films like 'Argo' may be the choice of a generation but you would do well to just say 'No'. What's the worst that could happen?

With a dark humor and riveting performance from Gael Garcia Bernal, this Academy Award nominated foreign film from Chile takes a look at blooming democracy during a Chilean dictatorship in the 80's. Bernal plays an advertising executive, Rene Saavedra who is contacted to help lead the strike campaign in voting YES or NO in keeping the dictator in office, thus starting the debate for a real democracy. The film is shot in a strange aspect ratio and most often looks like a home video, VHS quality format, taking some of the enjoyment out of what should be an escapist media. Instead, you're focused on the poor quality and not the well told story or spectacular performances. However, the actual commercials and segments that are played are the highlight of the film and throughout the film you anticipate this moments where the commercials are played.

I should have been captivated, given fit between my own political beliefs and the film's depiction of the 1988 plebescite that ended the repressive military regime of Pinochet in Chile. At least the print I saw was truly terrible -- low-budget indie videos are better. And I thought the telling of the story was disjointed largely due to the focus on the adman central character portrayed by Bernal. He felt made up and phony.

Muddy, broken, small, exclusive. And that's just the lo-fi camerawork "No" director Pablo Larrain decided to use in portraying the 1988 referendum to either oust or re-elect Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet after international scrutiny to push the question of his power onto the people. Now, let's talk how to sell a vote. First you need a spearhead. That's ad exec Rene Saavedra (the chameleon Gael Garcia Bernal), hired by the NO campaign for his experience in the art of big corporate gimmicks.

That's right -- "art". Advertising comes from money, and so does politics. Both are in the business of leaving you chopped and screwed. Heavy stuff, yeah? Nope. In the hands of Larrain and screenwriter Pedro Peirano, "No" is big on laughs, huge and hardcore, lining serious culture shock with jovial '80s elegance, media influence, and the need for compromise under political impasse. It lacks the urgency of recent-period pieces like "Milk" or "Argo", but "No" still works as what strategy goes into getting something stuck in people's heads. So the whole thing's fixed. What matters is how much can be covered up if the scandal is catchy.

Chile's best foreign-language film Oscar nominee, a great, entertaining, wise view of 1988 referendum on Pinochet.

"No" is the fourth film of Pablo Larrain, on which explore another chapter of the complex political arena in Chile. The famous referendum that close the horrible dictatorship of Pinochet is shown there the eyes of a director of TV commercials. The premise is very smart. In a production company the owner president is called to make the campaign of "Yes" in the referendum is called to create the campaign for the "No" in the referendum. Gael Garcia Bernal plays, René Saavedra, responsible of this successful No campaign. Juggling between jobs, political meetings, shooting, editing and reviewing the competitor in this battle. We see people ready to stop Pinochet in this tragic time for Chile. But on the other hand. We face the duality of what's best. Dictatorship with better quality of living or a democracy filled with problems like Allende's presidency. See political ideals as concept or content vs seen the audience and costumer as the people who will vote is a smart and complex idea. That not only show how is the world where we living, doesn't matter it this happen 20 years ago, still an issue for most of all.
Gael plays really well this ad guy, his conversation about what's art, what sell, who is the client and who is the costumer shows how is the treatment of politicians about voters. We are the product but also the consumer. The best success of a product to be sold, is that a a candidate or a party wins.

Los chilenos están volando. Excelente película con grandes interpretaciones por sus roles principales y una excelente dirección de Pablo Larrain. ¡Me encantó!

Worthwhile historical movie that deftly mixes social satire and historical drama. Inspiring !

Esta pelicula explica muchas cosas que todo latinoamericano deberia saberselas de memoria a estas alturas del camino. En el caso de los peruchos que el crecimiento económico es lo ultimo que debería preocuparnos para estar a a la altura de Chile. Les prometo que no aburre weones. En serio.

Come dice a un certo punto Antonio (il personaggio interpretato da Marcial Tagle) dopo aver visto le immagini delle donne di alcuni desaparecidos, 'io mi sono commosso'. Un po' perché Augusto Pinochet Ugarte è stato uno degli uomini neri della mia generazione, un po' perché questo film narra, con partecipazione ed efficacia cinematografica, l'incruenta fine della feroce dittatura cilena. Un referendum voluto dall'esterno - compresi gli Stati Uniti, che stavano ormai pensando di mollare il loro fdp a Santiago - e vinto a sorpresa dall'opposizione: per riuscire nell'impresa, malgrado il clima difficile e gli spazi televisivi ristretti, è necessario un colpo d'ala, quello regalato dal pubblicitario René Saavedra (vagamente ispirato a Eugenio Garcia) che è capace di convincere i riottosi esponenti del 'No' ad utilizzare, nei loro quindici minuti giornalieri, una campagna basata sulla speranza e sull'allegria piuttosto che sul ricordo e sul dolore. Basandosi su una sceneggiatura di Pedro Peirano tratta dall'opera teatrale di Antonio Skármeta, Larraín racconta il realizzarsi di quello che sulle prime sembra un miracolo con un bel ritmo, mischiando materiale d'epoca e una scelta visiva minimale che non fa sentire lo stacco con il nuovo girato: merito del formato utilizzato, un 4:3 che si richiama ai tempi gloriosi del Betamax (non sono passati neppure trent'anni, ma la tecnologia di allora pare davvero antidiluviana), e una qualità delle immagini volutamente artigianale. La storia ruota intorno all'eroe per caso René, uomo dalla vita professionale di successo ma parecchio incasinato sul piano familiare (è, in pratica, un ragazzo-padre la cui moglie convive con un altro): un personaggio che si evolve in modo classico - prima pensa solo alla carriera, poi è sempre più coinvolto, infine eccolo, novello Cincinnato, di ritorno al suo orticello pubblicitario - nel panni del quale il messicano Gael García Bernal offre una bella prova d'attore in un ruolo che sarebbe calzato a pennello al giovane Dustin Hoffmann. Su di lui si sofferma volentieri l'occhio della cinepresa, tanto che sono numerosi e lunghi i primi piani che contribuiscono a staccarlo dallo sfondo corale che lo circonda, animato da un cast di attori che danno l'impressione di sentire molto la partecipazione alla storia che viene narrata: fra di essi, ha una posizione di spicco quasi il solo Lucho, il capo di René nonché il suo rivale nella campagna, interpretato in maniera assai efficace da Alfredo Castro. Benchè la conclusione sia conosciuta, le poco meno di due ore di durata scorrono senza un attimo di stanca, grazie anche a più di una punta di ironia, giustificando appieno il premio vinto alla Quinzaine di Cannes 2012: peccato solo che, in Italia, il film esca un po' alla chetichella quasi un anno dopo, complicando la vita agli spettatori che sarebbero interessati a un lavoro bello, emozionante e che si prende anche il lusso di smentire Gil Scott-Heron. Perché sarà pure il potere della pubblicità, ma, almeno nel 1988 in Cile, la rivoluzione è stata trasmessa in televisione.

Primera película chilena candidata al Oscar, en este 2013, en la que se narra la historia de cómo se fue construyendo la campaña del 'No' en el plebiscito de 1988 en Chile, a partir de lo cual el dictador Augusto Pinochet es depuesto del poder y la etapa contemporánea de Chile como nación comienza.
Tiene algunos tramos lentos, pero en general está buena.

One great political film.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars. A terrific satire on the Pinochet years in Chile, which gives perspective and insight into the power of media, political freedom and individual triumph. Shot on 1980s era videotape, it has a deliberately ugly hue, but cuts into existing TV footage very effectively. Should be seen by anyone interested in political humor. Gael Garcia Bernal is a world class actor and movie star.

For what it is, No is competent and entertaining. A more detailed and in-depth look at the matter at hand would have been even more entertaining though.

Excellent film...great acting...a true portrayal of life under Pinochet's dictatorship....a must see.