Pablo Larrain on Portraying Pinochet as a Vampire in ‘El Conde’ to Counter Fascism ‘That Comes in Different Shapes and Forms’ Around the World
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent Chilean auteur Pablo Larraín is back in Venice – following “Spencer” in 2021 – with scathing satire “El Conde,” in which Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, a symbol of global fascism, resurfaces as a 250-year old vampire living in a rundown rural mansion after faking his death.
The allegorical film, beautifully shot in black-and-white by ace cinematographer Ed Lachman, stars revered 87-year-old Chilean actor Jaime Vadell in the role of Pinochet, who in reality died at the age of 91 in 2006, unpunished and rich.
During Pinochet’s 17-year regime, which began with a bloody military coup in 1973, more than 3,000 people died or disappeared due to political violence in Chile, which had previously experienced a long history of democracy.
Variety spoke to Larraín – who had already tackled the topic of Pinochet in “Tony Manero” and “Post Mortem,” as well as in 2012 Oscar-nominated “No,” about the successful campaign to remove the dictator from office – and also spoke to the director’s brother Juan de Dios Larraín, a producer on “El Conde,” about the urgency to “finally put a camera straight in his face” as Pablo put it.
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