Netflix’s The Count sees a fictional world where Augusto Pinochet faked his death and lives as a 250-year-old vampire, with no will to live more.
Story
Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is ousted from power and soon he fakes his death and now lives in a dilapidated mansion in the middle of a desert.
His wife, Lucia, and loyal servant Fyodor live with him. Pinochet is a vampire and has come to the end of his 250-year-long road called life. He has no will left to go on anymore.
He stops drinking blood for sustenance, despite Lucia insisting he does. She has her own ulterior motives for him to live longer, though, and although their five children don’t exactly care for his life, they sure do about his hidden wealth.
Carmen, a nun sent by the church tallies up all the money and documents as an accountant after she arrives at the mansion. Pinochet sees his will to live rejuvenated after seeing the young woman.
Meanwhile, his wife’s thirst for power and his children’s thirst for wealth grow stronger, just as his desire for Carmen. However, after extinguishing all flames of passion and dousing out all the fires of mutiny, an unexpected visitor arrives.
As the count is given a new purpose by the visitor, who reveals his biological lineage, others grown greedy and disloyal are put to rest via brutal methods, before the count and his new eternal partner depart and begin their lives anew.
Performances
Jaime Vadell does great portraying a heartless monster who also lacks a soul and is all decrepit and dreary in the face of his gratification needs not being met in a world that rejects his fascism and yet he remains as indifferent to murder and exploitation as ever.
Lúcia, his wife, is played by Gloria Münchmeyer, who does a good job with her role of a woman possibly more unscrupulous than her husband.
Alfredo Castro is seemingly stiff but at a closer look, is a marvel to observe as his character of loyal-yet-not-loyal servant hides beneath layers of emotions and desires.
Paula Luchsinger is a sublime addition to the cast and brings a whole lot of charm to her role of a holy seductress on a mission to rob the monsters.
Positives
The Count is shot magnificently. Its black-and-white palette is a feast to the eyes and the shots of the flights are enchanting, as well as haunting given the context attached to said feats.
The gore is unforgiving and unrelenting, which lends to the bite of the satire, even if it’s not used as effectively as it could have been.
Negatives
The satire isn’t incisive or contemplating enough, as it skims over the atrocious period of Chile’s history and instead focuses on the fictional version of the dictator living out his desolatory life.
If one is to portray a fascist dictator as a monster, that monster better commits gut-churning acts of horror that are not skimmed over for small dark-comedy gags.
Verdict
The Count is a film that lacks the bite and the ferocity with which it must be delivered, for such a promising premise to yield an effective satire on one of history’s most despised dictators.
The Count
Director: Pablo Larraín
Date Created: 2023-09-15 12:30
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