In 1988, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was forced to hold a plebiscite to legitimize his authoritarian regime. Two option were to be presented on the ballot: Yes for eight more years of Pinochet or No for literally anyone else in charge. Each side would get 15 minutes of television airtime for the 27 days leading up to the referendum. The No campaign hired René Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal), an advertising executive to produce its content. Saavedra discarded attack ads and footage of the violence perpetuated by Pinochet's coup in favor of fun, poppy jingles and a bright rainbow message of happiness.
Emotional appeals are the backbone of advertising. Most people don't buy with their brain, despite what they want to believe about themselves. They buy with their feelings. Politics is feelings writ large. Political ads sell concepts like safety, security, hope, fear. This movie pulls back the curtain a little bit to show the Mad Men-esque machinations that go behind all those appeals. It's also a fascinating corollary to our current hellscape.
For those of us who grew up in the '80s, the cinematography is shockingly perfect. That weird three-strip Technicolor with the yellow bleed and the sodium lights. Everything just slightly fuzzy. It's some incredible attention to detail. No is currently only available to rent or to buy but it is worth the rental.
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