No (15)

Drama

An ad executive comes up with a campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in Chile's 1988 referendum.

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The critical consensus

Director Pablo Larrain clearly wishes neither to sentimentalise the past, nor excoriate it with cynical satire; but this trepidation leaves his film feeling indecisive.

(*) (*) Hannah McGill, The List, 15/01/2013

It’s engaging and inventive, although the deliberately distressed video quality of the film can be hard on the eyes.

(*) Siobhan Synnot, The Scotsman, 03/02/2013

Initially jarring, the video aesthetic blends beautifully with period footage to give a smart depiction of a nation in transition. A well-deserved Oscar nominee.

(*) Philip Wilding, Empire Online, 07/02/2013

No is hugely smart and intricate, but it also comes from the gut.

(*) Tim Robey, The Telegraph, 07/02/2013

(*) (*) (*) Nigel Andrews, Financial Times, 07/02/2013

Pablo Larraín's film about Chilean democracy is simple and direct, heartfelt and involving.

(*) Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 07/02/2013

Larraín shows how idealism and venality sat side by side, how quickly the brutal circumstances in which Pinochet came to power were forgotten and how little seemed to change once he left.

(*) (*) Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent, 08/02/2013

The ambivalent mood that results reflects the way the sacrifices of the few often end up benefitting those who don’t necessarily share their higher ideals.

(*) Alistair Harkness, The Scotsman, 07/02/2013

Gripping, intelligent and complex socio-historical excavation.

(*) Ashley Clark, Little White Lies, 07/02/2013

We know the result, but I still felt a lump in my throat when it was announced.

Philip French, The Observer, 10/02/2013

A slow-burning film but with high quality flames.

(*) Amanda Bottomley, TVBomb, 22/02/2013