The role of advertising in politics is constantly evolving. From radio to TV to the internet and now to specifically pinpointed Facebook ads and beyond, it’s amazing how complex the system has grown. But watching how advertising affected the Chilean dictatorship of Pinochet and brought about his downfall in the late 80s in Pablo Larraín’s film No, it’s clear that those behind the ads just might understand our decision-making process better than we do. And it’s downright frightening. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up our discussion of the films in Pablo Larraín’s unintentional trilogy with a conversation about 2012’s No.
We talk about how well the film works for us and how frightening and sad it really is, looking at what it says about people and the advertising machine’s grasp of them. We chat about Larraín and his direction of this script adapted from an unpublished play, and why both the script and Larraín’s choice to film with U-matic tapes enhance the story as it allows archive footage, TV commercials, and the film to be integrated seamlessly. We discuss Gael García Bernal and why he works so well in this film, along with Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers and everyone else. And we look at the Pinochet dictatorship and what it was all about, and why it’s something that Larraín has been delving into with these films.
It’s a film that works really well for us, even if we differ in opinion on the look of the film. We have a great conversation about it and feel it’s definitely worth checking out. So watch it then tune in!
Film Sundries
- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
