El Conde (2023)

Director Larrain frequently paints for us portraits of recent historical figures from Princess Diana, to Jackie O, and Pablo Neruda. With his portrait of dictator Pinochet, he takes a bit different approach, employing dark satire and fantasy. He has made Pinochet a vampire (as well as another historical figure) as a rather clever and delicious metaphor for fascist evil. He (mostly) films his movie in a spooky black and white evoke classic horror from another era and even has the film narrated from the point of view of a subject we are not to sympathize with. In the end El Conde becomes quite a striking analysis of evil and terror that perhaps a more straight forward biopic could not have achieved. 

The film stretches this a little too far. There is a subplot in the middle which starts out as quite entertaining but goes on a little too long. Still there are moments in this part which truly stand out both visually and emotionally. I find watching Larrain's films he often paints us portraits that we are to glean story from more than handing us spelled out narratives. I appreciate this approach in his work and in this film specifically even if he does drag some of this out too much. 

El Conde is remarkable in how it balances a tragic air around his subject with never letting his off the hook for the horrors wrought during his reign, and perhaps beyond based on some spoilers which I don't want to get into here. The blood sucking metaphor, played often quite comically while also quite dark, is a well executed one. El Conde may make us think differently about a number of historical figures and moments.

El Conde

Starring: Jamie Vadell

Director: Pablo Larrain

Writers: Guillermo Calderón, Pablo Larrain