El Conde

This unashamedly comedic satire based on the dictator Augusto Pinochet took me by complete surprise. I went in with an entirely different expectation - perhaps a classy black-n-white movie with a few funny elements but mostly bloody ones. However, "El Conde" gave me something ten times better, and delivered thrills and frills in good measure. The story was loosely (emphasis on the word) based on Chilean general and dictator Augusto Jose Ramon Pinochet (b. November 25, 1915 ; d. December 10, 2006). He later ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. The title of the movie translates to 'The Count', which evokes the perennial legend of Count Dracula (no relation). Apparently, Augusto Pinochet is a vampire - literally, yes - and after more than two hundred and fifty years being one, he decided to die. Yet he went about hunting hearts - literally, yes - in Santiago and throwing them into a humble kitchen mixer to drink. The nostalgic black-and-white cinema palette made the story feel real, though it was anything but. I saw the movie in its native Spanish language. English and some French played their parts too. It genuinely made the plot more engaging and fun to see it this way. The titular El Conde became the ultimate soldier-revolutionary. Guilt, greed, and cruelty saw him playing an active role in wars and battles throughout history. The plot also covered his experiences as a young man in France during the French Revolution. His military 'rise and rise' was both creepy and funny to watch. It was just as entertaining to see the way they characterized his wife, the equally ruthless Lucia Hiriart (played notably by Gloria Münchmeyer). 'Conde' carved his own power-niche in Chile - which happens to be where this movie was originally made. These sequences too were filled with tasty intrigue and natural comedy. Then there was the exorcist-nun - the young, pretty, and seemingly unassuming Carmencita (played by Paula Luchsinger) - who added to the creative craze, more so when she went undercover as the family's hush-hush accountant. Her presence in El Conde's life was a result of secret dealings by both the Church and Augusto's own children. Speak of the minions... Jacinta (played by Antonia Zegers), Mercedes (played by Amparo Noguera), Luciana (played by Catalina Guerra), Manuel (played by Diego Muñoz), and Anibal (played by Marcial Tagle) gave noteworthy performances as the Conde's kids. All five of them were human and more interested in their belated inheritance than anything else. By the way, Alfredo Castro gave a criminally under-rated performance as Fyodor Krasnov. As for Stella Gonet's narration and physical performance as Margaret Thatcher - allegedly another secret vampire, and Conde's mother - it became the cherry on this bloody cake. Apparently, drinking certain types of blood can completely reverse the aging process in vampires, transforming them from seniors to toddlers. I liked this new take on old lore, which ended up giving some of the characters a creepy-great space in which to weave sequences filled with subtext. Right from the get-go, "El Conde" was offensive in comedic ways and dark in several others. They did not shy from using a good amount of gore and violence either. Historical flashbacks and mini 'origin stories' further enriched this brilliant movie and gave it a distinct gothic gravitas. Pablo Larraín has outdone himself with this one. The political humor was on point and so was the religious one. But, most importantly, Jaime Vadell's acting as El Conde was everything and more I never knew I needed to see this weekend. The whole movie was insane, I loved it. . Recommended Reading: An outstanding article on a website called 'High On Films' that goes into stunning detail about the 2023 movie "El Conde". The content was written by Amartya Acharya and titled "El Conde (2023) Movie Ending Explained - Is this Larrain's final say on Pinochet's reign in Chile?" It certainly made me appreciate the movie even more.

Making real life evil even more monstrous through satire, El Conde may not be a particularly sharp satire, instead choosing to go for easy targets and executing them really well with a complete lack of subtlety and gore that's effectively desensitised. Jaime Vadell is effortless in portraying Pinochet's absolute lack of care or regret towards the atrocities he committed and his constant boredom is funny. Paula Luchsinger has an incredible level of enthusiasm, extremely overt in communicating her plans to disrupt the family and clearly enjoying it. Pablo Larraín's direction is mundane in the best ways, even its most surreal elements are mostly executed with a complete and intentional lack of wonder, enhanced by the black and white photography which means even the gore feels deliberately mundane.

We discover through the narration of Margaret Thatcher that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is in fact a 250 year old vampire who has decided it is time to finally die. His loyal butler, also a vampire - an honour bestowed by his boss - flies out at night into Santiago to kill young people and drink their blood. Fearing that their father is responsible and determined to get their inheritance, they hire a nun, Carmen to 'exorcise' and kill him. However Pinochet falls in love with Carmen. Visually stunning and with a quite beautiful script, this wickedly funny and deeply dark story looking at all these appalling people justifying their existence and all the terrible things they've done is a glorious, albeit very strange treat. The performances by the leads, delivering the gold plated script, are universally excellent and you get really sucked in (I apologise) enjoying the story of this vile man and his family and cohorts. Special mention for Stella Gonet who narrates the whole thing beautifully before putting in an unexpected appearance towards the end - she is magnificent. Unique, deeply weird, grisly, beautiful disturbing and great fun.

This movie tries to be a satire, but it ends up being more like a Lynchian nightmare. The script is poorly written, with too much exposition and unrealistic characters. The nun character is especially confusing and hard to relate to. The movie also feels like propaganda at times, telling the viewers what to think instead of letting them form their own opinions. There are many random elements that don't make sense or add anything to the story. I don't understand how this movie won the best script award at Venice, when it should have been nominated for best cinematography instead. The only redeeming quality of this movie is the stunning photography by Larrain, who always delivers visually impressive shots. However, even his talent can't save this movie from being slow and boring. This movie is supposed to be a dark comedy, but it fails to make me laugh or care about anything that happens on screen. I can't say that this movie is terrible, but it's certainly not good either. I would not recommend it to anyone who wants to watch a smart and funny satire.

EL Conde is a bold and audacious film that takes a unique approach to its subject matter. Larraín's decision to portray Pinochet as a vampire is both provocative and insightful. It allows him to explore the dark side of human nature and the corrupting influence of power in a way that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The film is beautifully shot and features a number of striking visuals. The decaying mansion in which Pinochet resides is a perfect metaphor for his own decaying soul. The performances are all excellent, with Vadell giving a particularly memorable turn as the decaying tyrant. El Conde is not without its flaws. Some critics have found its tone to be too uneven and its satire to be too blunt. However, these flaws do not detract from the overall impact of the film. El Conde is a must-see for fans of horror, satire, and political cinema. Overall rating: 8 out of 10 stars Recommended for: Fans of horror, satire, and political cinema.

My first review here. When I first spotted the title on Netflix, I was intrigued and immediately looked at the reviews. The mix of positive and negative comments told me this could be one of those love or hate movies, possibly a low budget one. The fact that its a vampire horror movie I immediately watched it. I did not regret it. This movie is different, dark and has a dry sense of humour. It is also quite violent and has an interesting plot, which I will not spoil here. I love the dark atmosphere and historical vibe. I flinched a couple of times, especially during the scenes of the french revolution. Because this movie is not everyone's cup of tea and so different from the mainstream, I would recommend you watch it. The dialogues and acting is superb.

Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, wants to die. Problem is, he's a vampire, which makes things quite difficult. Having lived for over 200 years, experienced the French Revolution as a young French army officer, several other historic events, settled down in Chile, worked his way to the top, ruled ruthlessly and opulently and now been hounded by people seeking the truth, he's feeling a bit jaded. His family, on the other hand, are looking forward to their inheritance. I watched this because the main premise of this movie - Augusto Pinochet is a 200+ year old vampire - intrigued me. However, that novelty wears off pretty quickly. There's still some good dark comedy throughout the film centred around this but not enough to sustain the intrigue that this initially created. More than being about Pinochet being a vampire, it's the fact that he's over it all and wants to die that is the spine of the plot. This works well, initially, but quickly gets bogged down as it seems to go around in circles, making no progress. That pretty much sums up the movie: much promise, with initial premises, plots and sub-plots that offer heaps of potential but go nowhere, slowly. It all feels so tedious and pointless. Even a very left-field twist towards the end can't lift this above mediocre. Very disappointing.

I've joked before that Count Dracula hasn't had the best year (see my reviews of Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter). Well, here is Pablo Larrain's El Conde (or The Count), which is a pretty good film about a vampire who is, I guess, also a count. As exciting as cinema continues to be (in spite of the SAG-AFTRA strike inspiring studios to Do The Wrong Thing and delay a number of releases), with much hype around the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon as well as plenty of festival buzz around the likes of Lanthimos, Fincher, Triet, Miyazaki, et al., El Conde sticks out as being done pretty dirty. Here is a film by a highly gifted filmmaker (2021's Spencer, 2016's Jackie, 2012's No) that was praised at Venice Film Festival, only to then get thrown into the Netflix sea with little notice. That makes it easier for more people to see it, of course, but it's bound to get drowned in the content glut. Besides, even if we pretend for a moment that people really did get inspired to watch more "foreign" (non-Hollywood) films during the COVID-induced content drought, I don't know if very many people will be enticed by the premise. When the synopsis asks "What if Pinochet was really a centuries-old vampire? Wouldn't that be funny?", I reckon most would respond "Pino-who?" (To some, Pinochet's coup-d'etat, presidency, and death will seem like basic-b*tch knowledge, but keep in mind, the Netflix audience consists of the people who don't know where *insert literally anything here* is located on a map.) Even if you know your history, I'd be lying if I said the film is consistently all that funny. I'm also a bit bemused by the decision to have a narrator who speaks English while the rest of the movie is in Spanish, even if, when we finally got to see who the Englishwoman in question actually was, I chuckled. Regardless, the film is entertaining and its production design and cinematography are both seminal, achieving a look that's worthy of the vampire classics of old -- and also The Passion of Joan of Arc at certain moments. Still, I'm thinking I'll get my true fix with Eggers' Nosferatu remake.

EL CONDE (2023) - Director Pablo Larrain (SPENCER, NO) grew up in Augusto Pinochet's Chile and has used that backdrop to inform his work, but never so directly as in EL CONDE - although, with a major twist. In EL CONDE (The Count), Larrain makes Pinochet a literal monster: A vampire who, even after death, is still sucking the soul out of the Chilean people. Larrain, working with frequent screenplay collaborator Guillermo Calderon, has fashioned a true horror film. Gory and full of grotesque scenes, but, at it's core, it's a pitch black satire. It's not the first time that Larrain has taken such a fanciful tack with a 'bio-pic', his fabulous 2016 NERUDA turned the life of the namesake poet into a Film Noir thriller. EL CONDE is narrated in English and compactly traces Pinochet from his youth 250 years prior in France to his reign in Chile from 1973 to 1990 (Pinochet actually did have family roots tracing back to France). The bulk of the story takes place in the years after his official death (2006). Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) is living in a decaying old mansion with his long-time right hand man and butler, Fyodor (Alfredo Castro) and his less than loving wife Lucia (Gloria Munchmeyer). Pinochet's brood of ingrate children have gathered to divy up the family fortune which, in true dictator style, was largely stolen. An accountant, Carmencita (Paula Luchsinger), has been summoned to oversee the financial skulduggery. Carmencita is a nun and she functions as the 'Van Helsing' of the piece. She's also doubles as an Exorcist of sorts. The movie is shot exquisitely in Black & White by the great Ed Lachman (CAROL, VIRGIN SUICIDES). Lachman's work truly ascends when the Count takes flight sweeping over the landscape like a dark overlord. A later, first flight of a vampire, is one of the most soaring sights in a film this year. The sound work here is exceptional with a surround sound symphony of creaking floors and rotting detritus. The classically based music score adds to the gloom and doom. Visually, Larrain and Lachman make references to films such as Carl Dreyer's JEANNE D'ARC (Actress Luchsinger bears a striking resemblance to Falconetti) and VAMPYR. This count isn't content to just drink the blood of his victims - he consumes their very hearts as well. The theme of vampirism is an obvious metaphor, but Larrain handles it well, with delicious dark touches. Still, he can't help but let things get a bit too fanciful and drags in everything from Marie Antoinette to the Falklands war to a surprise cameo. It muddies things up a bit and extends the allegory a bit too thin, even as it strikes a strong blow about the permanence of evil. EL CONDE is a stirring movie, that doesn't fully hit its marks, but it does so with masterly style and intellectual vigor.

As vampire movie a master piece. As dialogs performance and work by the cast is stunning. About the story behind it's very conflictive offensive depending the point of view of the watcher and historical opinion about Chilean past and history since 70's till the present. But once again Pablo Larrain shake the world with his work and cast selection. Music , art direction , outfits , developing of the trama and historic characters it's an amazing work and fantasy never neglecting the art behind his work. Amazing shoots and images of Chile. Santiago and Valparaiso. Also the beginning of the story it's very carful develop making the movie fun to watch and interesting. Watch at your own discretion.