Mexican thesp Gael Garcia Bernal is set to team with Chilean director Pablo Larrain (“Post Mortem,” “Tony Manero“) for a political satire which will see the actor play an advertising executive who “changes the course of history.”
Inspired by the real life 1988 referendum in Chile called by Augusto Pinochet, and a subsequent play by Antonio Skarmeta titled “Referendum,” the script comes courtesy of Pedro Peirano and follows a brilliantly upbeat political campaign that managed to oust Pinochet and deny him another eight years in office. “Garcia Bernal’s character will be the guy who had the idea of using a nice, happy, positive message instead a dark one,” said Larrain. “That´s why they won: They didn’t attack Pinochet. They just promised a better and nicer future.”
Producer Juan de Dios Larrain went on to describe the film as “an epic David and Goliath story, a black comedy with attitude, with a large artistic ambition, multiple street demonstrations and, of course, Gael Garcia Bernal.” FIlm is expected to more mainstream than Larrain’s previous (excellent) efforts; disco serial-killer thriller “Tony Manero” and twisted period love story “Post Mortem.”
Chile’s Fabula (Pablo and Juan de Dios Larrain), Mexico City-based Canana (headed by Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Pablo Cruz) and L.A.-based producer Daniel Dreifuss are producing, with lensing to begin on November 3rd utilizing a wide combination of formats “film to 3/4 U-matic video format to high-end HD” as Larrain aims to make audiences “feel [like] they’re looking at a film that was shot in the ’80s.” Sounds very promising, and definitely one we’ll be keeping an eye on into 2012.
