NO
DIRECTOR: Pablo Larrain
CAST: Gael García Bernal , Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Luis Gnecco, Marcial Tagle, Néstor Cantillana, Jaime Vadell, Pascal Montero
RUNNING TIME: 118 minutes
CLASSIFICATION: 16L
RATING: ****
Chile, happiness is coming… that’s the tagline for this movie which deals with a time when a country was turned around by smart advertising.
What makes it so mesmerising post the Arab Spring as well as what is happening around the world right now, is that the story targets similar sentiments as witnessed in places like Ukraine and Syria to name but two – that simply standing up and taking a stand makes a difference.
It is the true story of a marketing campaign that happened almost a quarter-of- a-century ago. Not so far away that those who lived through it can’t remember, but far away enough to remind ourselves that not much has changed in the world. We’re still fighting all the same battles.
The time is Chile, 1988. After 15 years of debilitating dictatorship, General Augusto Pinochet (one of the few people who would speak to our government of the time because of similar outcast status) faces increasing international pressure to legitimise his regime. Because of this pressure, the government calls for a referendum as the future of the country is at stake. The people of Chile are asked to vote YES or NO to keep Pinochet in power for another eight years. Naturally as a dictator, Pinochet knows that he can dictate the outcome.
It is the kind of mindset from the dissenting side as well that often makes the outcome such a given. Why should we try doing something if nothing will help?
But here was a slightly different mindset and it’s that attitude to try something different that made the difference. It all began when they got their hands on a maverick advertising guy who understood what the message should be and how the people should be emboldened.
It’s a fascinating tale told in advertising jargon and filming style which might hinder the viewing for some people. But what is refreshing is the different approach of making the film which also heightens the impact of the story as it pushes us back in time. Back then, the approach was revolutionary. Today, political campaigns are run by advertising. More recently social media has included the people, giving those who have never had a voice a way to get into those power lobbies to get the masses motivated and mobilised. In No it is evident that once people decide to make the effort, they will find a way. It’s not simply about survival, it’s about living their best lives.
Adding to the impetus of the movie, Bernal is a game changer and has always been. He has a sensibility as an actor to play the people he portrays on exactly the right note which adds authenticity to a story that already carries a powerful punch. And then he is surrounded by a superb cast – young and old.
This was Chile’s official entry for the 2013 Academy Awards and was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It’s easy to see why as it tells a universal story of the way the masses will find the means and and the moment to turn their lives around. Worldwide, this is the kind of story we need right now. It’s a message of hope.
If you liked Good Night and Good Luck or The Ides of March you will probably love this. - Diane de Beer
Bernal the man of the moment
To those unfamiliar with his work (where have you been?), his is a face you’d expect to find within the pages of an illustrated Enid Blyton novel, or wrestling with witches, wizards and other fantastical creatures, Harry Potter style.
But while his features may be reminiscent of a pretty pixie, Gael Garcia Bernal is far from flighty (see what I did there?). Though his initial career choices could very well have led him down the stereotypical path of the open-shirt, cheesy Latino soap star: born in Mexico to an actress mother and director father, Bernal had barely reached the one-year-old mark when he first took up acting, and subsequently spent much of his teen years starring in telenovelas.
After political unrest in his native Mexico forced his university to close its doors, he found himself pounding the pavements of London Town, while completing a degree at the Central School of Speech and Drama and undertaking a number of stage roles.
But the pull of Mama Mexico proved too strong – not least after Bernal was approached by acclaimed Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who offered him a role in the 2000 Oscar-nominated film, Amores Perros.
He followed on from this attention-grabbing performance with the critically acclaimed Y Tu Mama Tambien (by the equally extolled director, Alfonso Cuaron). It was his role as a young Che Guevara (a part he also took on in the made-for-TV movie, Fidel) in 2004’s The Motorcycle Diaries, however, that cemented his standing – all 1.68m of it – as a serious actor. And one with a political edge at that.
Fast forward, give or take, a decade, with a list of film projects detailing socio-political concerns that reads like a UN document, as well as his sideline work with Amnesty International, and it’s NO wonder this pint-sized actor-turned-director has become a force to be reckoned with! - Lara de Matos