Free Screening: No

Director Pablo Larrain concludes his trilogy on life in Chile under the dictatorial rule of General Augusto Pinochet with a haunting tale of hope and defiance through creativity. Having claimed total control of the country in a military-led coup d’etat in 1973, Pinochet only agreed to a national referendum on his leadership in 1988. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as a young advertising executive who is called by a consortium of political parties to oversee the television spots calling for Pinochet’s rule to end, the “No” campaign. Working in secrecy and under the nose of his own boss (a confidante of the general), Bernal and his conspirators are antagonized not only by the competition but also by menacing plainclothes agents. Rich in 1980s ambience and lilting to a bevy of jingles and slogans, the film’s period verisimilitude is intensified by Larrain’s bold choice to shoot entirely on U-matic tape, allowing for the real “No” and “Yes” TV ads to be interwoven seamlessly with the film’s fictionalized narrative, which was written for the screen by Pedro Peirano (The Maid). A masterful blend of noir-tinted tension and gallows humor, No transforms an archetypal David and Goliath tale into a colorful portrait of activism through mass media.  

Bing Theater | Frequently Asked Questions (PDF | 72kb) | In person: director Pablo Larrain and cast member Gael Garcia Bernal | Free, tickets required

STANDBY ONLY: Tickets for this event are no longer available for reservation in advance. A standby line will form at 6:30 pm at the Hammer Building Ticket Office on the night of this event. Guests in the standby line will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis, though unfortunately there is no guarantee of tickets being made available to guests in this line.