Netflix released today the official trailer for El Conde (The Count), the highly-anticipated new film directed by multi-award-winning director-producer-writer Pablo Larraín.
Written by Pablo Larraín (Spencer) and Guillermo Calderón (Neruda), El Conde (The Count) is a dark comedy-fantasy/horror film that imagines a parallel universe inspired by the recent history of Chile.
The film portrays Augusto Pinochet, a symbol of world fascism, as a vampire who lives hidden in a ruined mansion on the cold, southern tip of the continent — feeding his appetite for evil to sustain his existence. After two hundred and fifty years of life, Pinochet has decided to stop drinking blood and abandon the privilege of eternal life. He can no longer bear that the world remembers him as a thief. Despite the disappointing and opportunistic nature of his family, he finds new inspiration to continue living a life of vital and counterrevolutionary passion through an unexpected relationship.
The cast includes Jaime Vadell (Neruda), Gloria Münchmeyer (42 Days of Darkness), Alfredo Castro (The Substitute), and Paula Luchsinger (La Jauría), amongst others.
Said Pablo Larraín about the story:
“I have spent years imagining Pinochet as a vampire, as a being that never stops circulating through history, both in our imagination and nightmares. Vampires do not die, they do not disappear, nor do the crimes and thefts of a dictator who never faced true justice. Together with my collaborators on the film, we wanted to show the brutal impunity that Pinochet represents. Showing him head on for the first time so the world can feel his true nature: see his face, smell his scent. For that, we have used the language of satire and political farce, where the General suffers an existential crisis and must decide if it is worth continuing his life as a vampire, drinking the blood of his victims, and punishing the world with his eternal evil. An allegorical reminder of why history needs to repeat itself in order to remind us of how dangerous things can become.”
The Count (El Conde) premieres globally on Friday, September 15, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Prior to this, the film will screen on August 31 as part of the official competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. It will have its theatrical release in select cinemas in September (date tba).
A production of Fabula, the film is produced by Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, and Rocío Jadue.
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