Not much running going on lately… It’s been super-hot, and I’ve been enjoying spending time at home reading and watching movies before my big summer trip. Vacations are a time to relax and do nothing too, right? Out of the dozens of movies I’ve watched this past month, one stands out: “No”. It is a 2012 Chilean Oscar-nominated movie for Best Foreign film, but easy to find on Netflix or Redbox. Based on a true story, it recounts how an ad-campaign helped change Chile’s faith at the 1988 referendum to let the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet go on for another 8 years. Of course it does not tell the whole story, but it is a window into how people’s voice can be heard with the right tools. It also reminded me of what’s going on with the protests in Brazil this month and the military coup in Egypt today. It is hard to keep up with what’s going on in this crazy world all the time… so sometimes we need movies to tell us a story in an entertaining (well, sometimes biased) way and “No” does the job. Two things stand out: the use of vintage cameras and Gael Garcia Bernal. If you’re not familiar with him, I urge you to watch another one of his movies: “Motorcycle Diaries”.

One more thing: “Side Effects” is another movie I watched this month I’d like to recommend.