No [Blu-Ray]

Following the Chilean constitutional referendum in 1980, which modified the 1925 constitution to give Military Junta leader Augusto Pinochet additional powers during his subsequent eight-year run as the President of the Republic, injustice and a sense of dictatorial omnipresence suppressed the development of culture throughout '80s Chile. Those that defied the National Security Council often found themselves imprisoned or, worse, the victims of unexplained disappearances or violence. This is why the 1988 plebiscite, wherein the military junta elected only one candidate — Pinochet, as expected — implicitly makes for good cinema. Chilean voters were asked simply to vote either "yes" or "no" to the extended proposal giving Pinochet an additional eight years in power, with each side given 15 minutes on national television to plead their case. And since their television, along with everything else, was controlled by the government, this meant that the 15 minutes allotted for the "No" campaign was literally the only access to a contrary opinion voters were granted. Pablo Larraín's fictional account of this marketing campaign, led by young commercial hotshot René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal), is ostensibly an underdog journey. Under the scrutiny and watch of the despot's henchmen, Saavedra tries to find a creative way to get a populous mostly terrified of contrary action and complacent to the limited benefits they receive for behaving to make a radical decision at the polls. Knowing the usual video footage of protesters being beaten in the streets would be received with casual numbness, having little effect on voters while pissing off military oppressors, Saavedra takes an Americanized, essentially capitalist approach to the campaign, making it like a protracted Coca-Cola commercial with celebrity spokesman, a consistent logo and a "happiness" tagline to hook people. Filmed with vintage cameras, in the 4:3 ratio popular during the time, these clever nods to consumer culture and technological advancement (microwaves are particularly fascinating for every character throughout No) as a looming hint at the democratic structure on the horizon make comic and prescient the now out-dated strategies for change. Larraín's pseudo-mockumentary approach to what could easily be preachy pedagogical material is what gives this intentionally fictional historical biopic its verve. The mixture of harsh reality — once the junta starts taking action against Saavedra when his campaign tactics prove successful — and subtle absurdities in the commercials force thought and reaction, making provocative and culturally incisive what might otherwise be dry and expository. How absurdly simple it is to manipulate a stationary populous with a catchy song and memorable slogan is played as comedy despite having greater implications about how modern democratic societies are informed and motivated. Larraín and Bernal discuss these political implications throughout the commentary track included with the Blu-Ray with a little more clarity than Bernal does on his own in the interview snippet included from the Toronto International Film Festival.