El Conde: A deliciously dark satire
Review Overview
Vampire Pinochet
8Narrator
8Blackly comic satire
8Matthew Turner | On 15, Sep 2023
Director: Pablo Larrain
Cast: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger, Catalina Guerra, Marcial Tagle, Amparo Noguera, Diego Muñoz, Antonia Zegers
Certificate: 15
The latest film from Chilean director Pablo Larrain (Spencer, Jackie) is a blackly comic satire that imagines deceased dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250 year-old vampire. That’s an inspired idea in and of itself, and it pays off beautifully, but the genius of the script is that it also works as a satisfying vampire movie in its own right, complete with lashings of genre trappings.
Narrated in English by a familiar-sounding British lady (Stella Gonet), with the majority of the dialogue in Spanish, the film begins with a short history of how French peasant Claude Pinoche (Jaime Vadell) was bitten by a vampire in the 18th century and eventually rose to become dictator of Chile in 1973, changing his name to Augusto Pinochet. However, when the authorities began to close in on him, Pinochet faked his own death – not for the first time – and has continued to live in isolation, with his wife, Lucia (Gloria Munchmeyer), and his loyal servant, Fyodor (Alfredo Castro).
By this point, aged 250, Pinochet is longing for death and remains mystified by the fact that he doesn’t seem able to die, even when he stops drinking blood. Meanwhile, his five non-vampire children descend on his remote location, having grown sick and tired of waiting for their inheritance. Pinochet’s eldest daughter (Catalina Guerra) also brings in an beautiful young accountant (Paula Luchsinger as Carmen) to help uncover their missing millions, but the family are unaware that she is secretly a nun with a hidden agenda.
In case anyone was wondering just how much of a vampire movie El Conde would be, Larrain sets out his stall early on with a spectacularly nasty gore moment and there’s plenty of the red stuff – or rather, the jet black stuff, seeing as it’s mostly in black and white – flying about throughout the film. It also adheres to a handful of the standard vampire rules – living forever, power of flight, can be killed with a stake, biting and feeding in order to turn someone, etc – while adding a couple of its own, such as the fact that eating hearts is more efficient than biting necks and feeding on fresh young hearts restores lost youth.
Co-written by Larrain and Guillermo Calderón, the scabrous script is delightfully dark, driving several carefully sharpened satirical stakes into the heart of Pinochet’s legacy of greed, corruption and out-and-out evil. Towards the middle of the movie, something intriguing happens with the structure, as you realise that the narration is commenting on the action as it happens, as if she is watching the film with us. On top of that, the dialogue is delicious, particularly in Gonet’s beautifully performed narration, intoning lines such as: “English blood is his favourite – it has something of the Roman Empire.”
The film looks stunning throughout, courtesy of Edward Lachman’s gorgeous cinematography, and the production design is equally impressive, particularly in the details of Pinochet’s chosen abode, which has both chandeliers and broken floorboards in stark contrast – an illustration of how far he has fallen. The film is further heightened by a terrific soundtrack that makes splendid use of some classical music, particularly when accompanying the sound of the count’s flapping cape as he flies over Santiago.
Larrain packs the film with surprises, surreal flights of fancy and moments of jet black comedy. Highlights include every detail relating to Marie Antoinette and an achingly poignant, but very funny, throwaway sequence where Pinochet occasionally visits his old palace to see if they’ve erected a bust of him yet.
In short, this is a treat from start to finish, a brilliantly acted, sharp-toothed satire that draws blood and savours every delicious drop. It’s also up there with Larrain’s best work to date. Don’t miss it.