Chile, Hold The Queso

I'll be honest, if Gael Garcia Bernal made a documentary called "Let's Watch Moss," I'd pay to see it. 

I've been a fan since Y Tu Mamá También (which I can never pronounce or spell correctly, kind of like Zach Galifianakis, who I lazily refer to as Zach Snuffleupagus). And now it appears Gael's going to star in Jon Stewart's directorial debut, which skyrockets his cool quotient into galaxies only inhabited by the likes of Luke Skywalker and Ace Frehley. 

But when I read the description of his 2012 film, No, my first (very American) reaction was 
Hmm...it's about history. Chilean history. That's not just another country—it's another continent. A continent I learned nothing about thanks to 12 years in Florida public schools. How will I possibly relate to this film? What's in it for me?

The only famous Chilean I knew of up to that point was this guy:

I loved the premise: An ad exec creates a television campaign with the sole purpose of overthrowing a violent dictator. Kind of like what I do, only substitute "overthrowing a violent dictator" with "selling things." I decided to give it a whirl. 

It's a great film in much the same way that Argo is, given the political tension and the fact that it's based on actual events. 

To American audiences it may feel a bit slow (nobody drives a Hummer off the Empire State Building). And, it has subtitles which I know throw some people off. An old friend of mine once said while trying to watch the delicious Queen Margot, "I wish they'd stop flashing those words on the screen. When I stop to read, I don't know what's going on."

Much like All The President's Men and Network, No doesn't just tell a taut story, it explores the most basic, primal elements of humanity and how they haven't changed much over the past millennium. It's inspired me to learn more about Chile and its history, as well as add South American writers like Gabriel García Márquez to my must-read list. 

Who knows? Maybe carefully chosen words do matter?