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.

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.

!Si NO! The Chilean story of the democratic campaign which brought an end to the Pinochet dictatorship (against all odds).

The best movie I've seen this year thus far. A wonderfully directed and acted story of how political freedom came through the most unlikely of places and people.

One great political film.

Not nearly as dark as I thought it would be. Rather funny, for a decent amount of it. But it's particularly interesting to see it shot with a camera from that decade, with the cinematic work done with it closer to what you see today.

No is an awesome movie based on an historical event. It's Chile 1988 military dictator Augusto Pinochet due to international pressure is forced to call a referendum on his presidency. The people will vote to either keep Pinochet in office or kick him out. This chronicles the impossible task given to an ad man named Rene Saavedra played in the movie by Gael Garcia Bernal who gets the job of campaigning for the no side of the campaign and his team of people. They come up with a plan to win the election and set Chile free. They decide to show happy things because they will make the people think of what the future will look like without Pinochet. This is an awesome experience at some points very funny and at some points openly intense. In the end we may know what's going to happen because it gets kind of predictable but even with that in mind in the end we are moved by what would be the renewal of a country. This movie is at points funny, intense, and political. But in the end you can't help but be moved. This is a moving experience.

Excellent movie. Distills a complicated historical event into a movie without dumbing it down. Gael Garcia Bernal brings integrity to every movie I've seen him in. See this one.

This Chilean realer-than-real story is rousing and funny in all the right places, and sublimely combines documentary and narrative film making. Easy to see why it was such a crowd favorite at Cannes.