EL CONDE’s opening narration carries the underlying implication that the major figures of late 20th Century neoliberalism were literal vampires. By the end, any subtlety to this satire is gone and the heavy-handedness of the allegory becomes rather draining. The film’s interesting if unsubtle allegory positioning neoliberal politicians influenced by the Chicago Boys as bloodsucking vampires is undermined by the third act’s frankly silly revelations. There are some undeniably beautiful images—a young Pinoche (Clemente Rodríguez) licking blood off a guillotine’s blade in Revolutionary France; the older Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) gliding above the streets of Santiago, cape flapping in the breeze—but they’re in service of a film that never really comes together.
Full review available on Cinetopia podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cinetopia/episodes/September-2023-on-EHFM-reviews-of-FREMONT--PAST-LIVES--EL-CONDE--and-BROTHER-plus-an-interview-with-SMOKE-SAUNA-SITERHOOD-director-Anna-Hints-e29gfma