Saturday, July 20, 2013
Man of his times
Today's film is the wonderful work of Pablo Larraín
in which Gael Garcia Bernal plays a detached ad-man who drives the "NO" campaign against Pinochet in the plebiscite that toppled the infamous dictator, an American stooge, to get rid of "commie" Salvador Allende who then became a super villain. Torture, disappearance, beheadings. Goons.
Bernal is perfect as this comfortably cynical ad man who has considerable success with things like soda and other light stuff.
When asked to participate in the "NO" campaign, an amalgamation of various, mostly leftist, splinter parties he is appalled at their boring negative ads and tries to get then to use a new ad-ish approach.
The biggest battle in this film is really about shifting these people from their rhetoric to the idea of selling themselves.
Aside from Bernal, Larrain has recruited a host of Chilean actors who manage to convey everything from menace to dogmatism through to a loser mentality. Once converted, they band together as an irresistible force.
The film is wry and has a bit of a tongue in its cheek but it is factual and when the goons show up to scare the campaigners there is plenty of suspense even when we know how it turned out.
If you forget or don't know, Pinochet was removed by the vote he tried to suppress and the generals who read the real results and saw the handwriting on the wall.
This is a genuine piece of archeology which is conveyed first thing with the realization that this is "filmed" with old video cameras. A step back in time.
Even the model railroad is the Lionel O gauge. A blast from my past.
I really liked this film and it will go in the Bernal collection to be seen and savored again.
Of course, it helps that I was "there".
A 5 out of Netflix5.
Labels: films
