Review of No (2012) by Corley J — 04 Sep 2013

Faced with the odds that the government can just rig the election, this Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee tells the background story of the opposition's advertising campaign that gives Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet a run for his money in Chile's 1988 referendum. The very capable Gael Garcia Bernal plays the advertising executive who frames the "No" campaign in Pinochet's bid for another six years to his already 15-year rule.

Its story is very relevant and historical but the film's production values leave a lot to be desired. Director Pablo Larrain uses several techniques to replicate and give a feeling and understanding of the era. He used magnetic tape technology similar to Betamax. Coupled that with the choice of using washed out colors, the result is a grainy picture with very low resolution and the editing very uneven.

This would have been a more compelling film had it been a straight documentary instead of a docudrama.