kyle c
A very interesting movie, but not always the most engaging. It feels kind of like a documentary in the way it's filmed and paced (I actually thought it was a documentary for the first few minutes) which leads to some really interesting explorations of ideas of democracy, propaganda, and choice. It seems to be historically accurate and pretty educational, which is really nice.
The acting is all fine, but the characters don't really get fleshed out as the movie focuses much more on the logistics of the plot rather than its impact on the characters (another way that this feels like a documentary). No is a good movie for history or politics buffs, but probably not exciting enough for your average audience.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Es una buena película, pero no es excelente; la trama es interesante, la cinematografía es pasable y la actuación de Gael García Bernal es decente; es un buen intento de retratar el pasado chileno.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
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dave s
In No, ad executive Rene (Gael Garcia Bernal) is hired to manage the campaign to oust Augusto Pinochet from power in the 1988 Chilean referendum. It sounds like pretty dry stuff but the film is filled with some unexpectedly clever humor and a surprisingly touching conclusion. Based on a true story, the movie has the gritty feel of a documentary, but never loses focus on the character development of the protagonist or strays too far from the theme – the triumph of good over evil. What's unsettling about the movie is the lighting. Time after time, the camera stares into direct light and bleaches out the characters in the foreground, either symbolizing the light that is being brought to Chile or an indication that the cinematographer lost his light meter. Either way, it's annoying and manages to keep a good film from being great.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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Audience Member
literally so good wow
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
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Audience Member
As a director one has to think about what medium best suits this story. Based on the final product, I do think that taking this story to a series would have been a better idea, the film somehow feels rushed and time lapses are not that well explained creating a lack of tension, characters felt hollow, just García Bernal character gets enough screen time and even him is not very well developed. I understand that probably the idea of using cameras from that era would create a sense of engagement, for me it manages to do the opposite, a feeling of artificiality constantly avoid me from engaging in the movie, for me it felt like a pretentious directorial decision that doesn't pay off. The higlights are the themes explored, the manipulative and artificial nature of life itself.
Poignant and a little pretentious ending that I liked.
I would love to see the documentary about this real events in Chile's history.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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Audience Member
After fifteen years of military dictatorship and facing considerable international pressure, Chile's regime asks the public of Chile to vote in the national plebiscite of 1988 on whether General Augusto Pinochet should stay in power for another eight years, or whether there should be an open democratic presidential election the following year. René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), a successful advertisement creator, is approached by the "No" side to consult on their proposed advertising. Behind the back of his politically conservative boss, Saavedra agrees to participate and finds that the advertising is a dourly unappealing litany of the regime's abuses created by an organization that has no confidence in its efforts. Enticed by the marketing challenge and his own loathing of Pinochet's tyranny, he proposes to the advertising subcommittee that they take a lighthearted, upbeat promotional approach stressing abstract concepts like "joy" to challenge concerns that voting in a referendum under a notoriously brutal military junta would be politically meaningless and dangerous. While the unorthodox marketing theme is dismissed by some "No" members as a facile dismissal of the regime's horrific abuses, the proposal is approved for the campaign. Saavedra, his son, and his comrades are eventually targeted and intimidated by the authorities. Eventually, Saavedra's boss Lucho finds out about his employee's activities, but when Saavedra refuses an offer to become a partner if he withdraws, Lucho goes to head the "Yes" campaign as a matter of survival. The historic campaign took place in 27 nights of television advertisements, in which each side had 15 minutes per night to present its point of view. During that month, the "No" campaign, created by the majority of Chile's artistic community, proved effective with a series of entertaining and insightful presentations that had an irresistible cross-demographic appeal. By contrast, the "Yes" campaign's advertising, with only dry positive economic data in its favor and few creative personnel on call, was derided even by government officials as crass and heavy-handed. Although the government tries to interfere with the "No" side with further intimidation and blatant censorship, Rene and his team use those tactics to their favor in their marketing, and public sympathy shifts to them. As the campaign heats up in the concluding days with international Hollywood celebrity spots and wildly popular street concert rallies of the "No" campaign, while the "Yes" side is reduced to desperately parodying the "No" ads...
Writing in May 2012, Time Out New York critic David Fear called No "the closest thing to a masterpiece that I've seen so far here in Cannes". Variety reviewer Leslie Felperin felt the film had the "potential to break out of the usual ghettos that keep Latin American cinema walled off from non-Hispanic territories. ....with the international success of Mad Men, marketing campaigners should think about capitalizing on viewers' fascination everywhere with portraits of the advertising industry itself, engagingly scrutinized here with a delicious, Matthew Weiner-style eye for period detail." One of the unique features of the film was Larraín's decision to use ¾ inch Sony U-matic magnetic tape, which was widely used by television news in the 80s. The Hollywood Reporter argues that this decision probably lessened the film's chances "commercially and with Oscar voters." The Village Voice reviewer commented that the film "allows Larrain's new material to mesh quite seamlessly with c. 1988 footage of actual police crackdowns and pro-democracy assemblages, an accomplishment in cinematic verisimilitude situated anxiously at the halfway point between Medium Cool and Forrest Gump."
"No" is based on the unpublished play "El Plebiscito", written by Antonio Skármeta. At the 85th Academy Awards the film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The historic backstory is for sure intriguing and interesting, but this film is not that intriguing nor interesting in my opinion. I can´t really agree with all the raving reviews and the Oscar nomination. I like that the film has been shot in the video support U-matic 3:4 used at the end of the 1980s, to fit with real footage which creates a strong documentary feeling in the film. But, it doesn´t change the fact that the pacing is too slow and "No" is simply quite boring with no real highs or lows.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/21/23
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