Everyone knows Pinochet died in 2006. What this film presupposes is … maybe he didn’t? Larra\u00edn and co-writer Guillermo Calder\u00f3n posit that Pinochet was born in 18th-century France, where he developed a hatred of all revolutions \u2014 and became a vampire. Pinochet (Jaime Vadell), aka the Count, eventually travels to South America, where he rises to power as a brutal dictator in 1970s Chile, responsible for ordering the deaths of thousands and committing a raft of financial crimes in addition to his humanitarian ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
El Conde <\/em>spends most of its time in the 21st century, with Pinochet sequestered in an isolated mansion after the rest of the world thinks he has died. Now, after living for two and a half centuries, he is finally ready for his life to end. His five children take a boat to his home, desperate for their inheritance. They have to find the money their father hid from the authorities (and forgot the location of himself). They hire a rather attractive accountant, Carmencita (Paula Luchsinger), who is actually a nun intent on eradicating the evil vampire who feasts on the blood of his people. Yet, the presence of the accountant\/nun\/vampire hunter revitalizes the Count, and he may have found a reason to live another day \u2014 and eat another heart \u2014 much to the annoyance of his wife, Lucia (Gloria M\u00fcnchmeyer). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even beyond its dynamic visuals and wild twists, El Conde<\/em> never feels staid. Larra\u00edn imbues the film with a wry comedy, from the matter-of-fact British voiceover narration to a caustic wit in the dialogue. It\u2019s like the unholy union of German expressionism and The Death of Stalin.<\/em> This is an extraordinarily funny effort from a director who isn\u2019t really known for his sense of humor, full of unexpected juxtapositions from its early moments, where its title is declared in a millennial pink Gothic typeface over the black-and-white cinematography. Juan Pablo \u00c1valo and Marisol Garc\u00eda\u2019s classical, string-heavy score feels more appropriate for a standard historical biopic, but it plays over grisly violence and hearts pureed in blenders with alcohol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n El Conde<\/em> is wedded neither to historical fact nor vampire lore, but Larra\u00edn doesn’t intend for it to be taken literally on either account. Instead, it satirizes dictatorships and how Pinochet (and others like him) never truly received what they deserved for their crimes against their nations and others, and so those in power continue to feed off the blood and money of their citizens. El Conde <\/em>is not always successful in its aims, but due to its inventive approach and stunning cinematography, it\u2019s never boring\u2014and always beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “El Conde” is currently in limited release. It streams on Netflix<\/a> Friday. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/el-conde2-scaled-1024x571.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Shot by Ed Lachman in gorgeous black and white, El Conde <\/em>bears a striking resemblance to F.W. Murnau\u2019s Nosferatu<\/em> and the films of Carl Theodor Dreyer. The script is at once overly simplistic and a little confusing, with character motivations that don\u2019t entirely make sense, but its images will linger long after the screenplay’s issues fade from memory. In an arresting moment, we see a caped Pinochet flying over Santiago like a superhero (or, more appropriately, a supervillain). Meanwhile, with her beatific smile and short haircut, Luchsinger\u2019s Carmencita bears an uncanny resemblance to The Passion of Joan of Arc<\/em>\u2019s saintly Ren\u00e9e Jeanne Falconetti, and the audience isn\u2019t sure whether she\u2019ll be Pinochet\u2019s undoing or his rebirth. Netflix thankfully didn\u2019t insist upon El Conde<\/em> looking like every other featureless movie on the service; instead the chiaroscuro and Lachman\u2019s fine eye set Larra\u00edn\u2019s movie apart. Unfortunately, the only way most people will ever see this is on their TV, rather than on the big screen its beauty deserves.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nB+<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n