A fascinating conclusion of Larrain’s trilogy on life under Pinochet’s dictatorship, considered one of the darkest eras in the history of Chile. The penetrating gloom is emphasised also visually – the director consciously adopted an anti-aesthetic stance.
A brash young advertising executive and publicist, René Saavedra fled into exile when Pinochet seized power. He now returns home from Mexico to join the campaign against referendum that will decide on the future of his homeland. Chilean opposition leaders persuade Saavedra to spearhead their campaign. Although aware that the task at hand will be more than challenging, Saavedra devises an audacious plan with scant resources and constant scrutiny by the despot’s watchmen. He is convinced that he can save his country from the clutches of the terrorizing tyrant and free his compatriots from oppression.
»I was never exposed to violence, I was never exposed to poverty. So, in a way, my life during the dictatorship was comfortable and completely out of any kind of danger. When I realized what happened in this country, I was 15, 16. I felt that I had missed something that a lot of people had experienced, which is called fear and pain.«
- Pablo Larrain
Pablo Larrain
Born in 1976 in Santiago, Chile. Having graduated in film direction, Larrain founded a production company, Fabula. In 2005 he directed his debut feature film, Fuga, which received several festival awards. His second feature, Tony Manero, enjoyed widespread success, winning awards at the Torino, Istanbul and Rotterdam Film Festivals. Post mortem was followed by a TV series as well as No, his fourth feature film.