Year: 2012
Director: Pablo Larrain
Country: Chile
Language: Spanish
Amour, Kon-Tiki, No, A Royal Affair, War Witch. These were the films nominated for "Best Foreign Language Film" at the 2013 Academy Awards. Because Amour won the award and had a nomination for "Best Picture", many assume that Amour really is the better film. However I would disagree, while that film was good, it certainly didn't compare to the brilliance of No.
The plot of No starts when Military dictator Augusto Pinochet calls for a referendum to decide his permanence in power in 1988, the leaders of the opposition persuade a young daring advertising executive - René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal)- to head their campaign.With limited resources, Saavedra and his team conceive of a bold plan to win the election and free their country from oppression.
No is obviously a very political film, an underdog story that exposes a vast generation gap in Chile. It depicts the very real plight of youthful optimism against aging tyranny, hope against oppression, change against stagnancy. The fight in this film is a Universal fight that is happening, or has happened, in every country around the world at one time or another. It is interesting that even though we know the ending from before we watch the film, No gives us very tension filled moments that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Strikingly, No uses many archive images, maybe up to a quarter of the film is made from the original videos aired in the Chilean TV during the campaigns. This is particularly interesting to foreigners as we get to see what the Chilean people were able to watch on television every night. Even with these images, we never feel like we are watching a documentary because the Director blends the archive footage with his original film absolutely perfectly.
In conclusion, No is an incredibly dramatic film with great historical importance. Although the events of this film are over 24 years old, there is a great need for a hopeful political film in this day and age. Audiences from all nations will be inspired by this film, perhaps more underdogs will continue defeating corrupt governments. 3.5/5
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