The Black-and-White Rainbow: Memories of the 1988 Chilean Plebiscite in Pablo Larraín’s *NO*

This essay analyzes Pablo Larraín’s feature film NO, which revisits one of the decisive turning points in Chilean contemporary history. The film centers on René Saavedra, a young advertising executive who, during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, is tasked with designing the “No” campaign for the 1988 plebiscite. Beyond the story of an extraordinary political campaign, the film highlights the dynamics of a historic breakthrough: that of previously marginalized actors who, amid a profound imbalance of power, manage to subvert the traditional logic of political confrontation by radically reinventing the codes of public communication. In the face of institutional coercion and control over discourse, creativity, humor, and aesthetic sensibility emerge as strategic levers for collective mobilization, capable of transforming the ways in which citizens perceive and engage with political issues. At the intersection of critical essay and reflection on media culture, this book highlights television’s decisive role in redefining the political sphere, demonstrating how images, audiovisual narratives, and advertising strategies have taken on unprecedented significance within it.