Have you ever heard of director Pablo Larraín before? No? Yeah, me neither. And I was really excited when I discovered El Conde for this very reason. The realisation that this was an international film of which I have absolutely no prior connection to whatsoever. Completely fresh faces in the cast, names in the crew that I have never heard of, let alone could probably barely pronounce correctly. I love international cinema for this very reason. The world of international cinema is often void of the depressing structure of Hollywood blockbusters, too. Being a little more free despite having smaller budgets. The result is often that these films are funded by the government to some degree, getting cultural backing of some sort that allows them to get made, even if the unfortunate result is that they barely manage to breakeven, if at all. But people like me appreciate them. Tired of what the English speaking film side of things throws out, desperate to see a part of the world that is completely different to what we know. The differences in culture, language, and tradition that comes with making international films.
These days international cinema has a lot more strength to it, however. There certainly is more backing behind it, more support from those natives. Every country to some degree is seeing a huge boost in the film industry, productions of every kind in development at any season of the year. Things have certainly changed with the rise of streaming services which cater to region specific audiences. To some degree it's bad that region locking removes the ability to share these works with those audiences, but at the same time it is nice to see a positive to streaming services that then contribute to the production of artistic creations in nations that otherwise wouldn't be able to fund them alone. For example, the film industry here in Armenia is borderline nonexistent. It relies on the west and Russia for most of its entries to the cinema. But apparently things are picking up with Netflix making a move here soon.
Going into something like El Conde, something nominated for an Oscar in Hollywood, it's important to take awareness of international cinema in this era, the boom of it, but also the fragility as its landscape shifts dramatically with each passing year. To compare the industry over the last decade; and to take pride in the fact that creations like these are capable of being released in that tricky time. Though the lingering question remains: is El Conde actually a good film? Let's find out.
El Conde
Have you ever thought of how it may feel to live far beyond the average life span? To feel almost immortal? Centuries of life witnessed, and the inevitable feeling that you just don't really have anything more to do. Now imagine that you're a dictator vampire. In his youth, this protagonist is soon discovered to be a vampire that seeks to drink the blood of those around him, surviving an attempt on his life, he had no choice but to flee to Chile. The French Revolution leading to his escape and faking of his death. The film utilises narration to explore this initial idea, connecting the political events of history to his life. Going from being a simple soldier, to rising up again in Chile to become an authority figure. The use of political events in the film is interesting, in a way making reference to the ways in which dictatorships are essentially blood-sucking vampires that thrive on the suffering of others in their, no pun intended, thirst for additional power.
Shot entirely in black and white, it's a visually stunning film. The cinematography holds some really beautiful movements in the camera, the comedic tones to it mixed with the slow movements that are felt: the revival of our vampire in his casket after yet again attempting to fake his own death. But the important aspect of this film's narrative is more on the ways in which a dictator may eventually feel empathy for their actions as they age. The desperation to find a way out as they feel regret. Now old and tired, what more is there for them to do other than reflect on the past? Focusing yet again on that aspect of narration, it allows for these visuals to promote these ideas to the audience. Visuals instead relying more on the cinematography, promoting that idea of power and thirst for it, the ways in which it corrupts.
This theme on corruption with power continues on in the film as we see the relatives of this vampire now in search of, well, even more of it. The drama that unfolds as result. Lots of metaphors but that's something you'd generally expect from such a film. I quite liked it, actually. Especially with scenes alongside what would be regular actions to them, but odd to others, such as cooking strange things. It's interesting given the prior narration in the earlier part of the film that explains that he intentionally did not make them vampires so that they retained their natural order. The film isn't all narration, however. It sometimes takes breaks to let the characters speak directly to each other, and it's moments like these also where the directing takes turn. Camera angles change, perspectives seem more warped from wide angle lenses. Characters seem more up-close and in our faces, it's slightly nightmarish as a result, but that's the intention with such a weird, messed up family.
A mixture of languages are used, as well. The narration is in English. The characters speak in Spanish and Italian. It's a unique blend that I found odd at first, but it quickly grew on me. Though I do feel that the narration should've been in something other than English, it wasn't really necessary. Not that it is distracting, I think it worked well with the story, and I'll mention that a bit more in a moment.
I found it interesting how the narration weaves its way back into the film in such moments, it goes from explanations to a more personal tone. A narrator that is almost jealous and agitated at certain actions, throwing shade at characters. I've mentioned in the past how I love films that feature narration, but this addition to it really made it stand out compared to those that I have previously seen and enjoyed. It made our narrator seem part of it all.
As mentioned with the previous idea of metaphors in the film, it again references that cling to power, that desperation for it and how those who stick around are merely doing so for their own agendas. A lack of trust in those close to the vampire, or dictator. Even as the vampire is ready to die at 250 years old, those around him fear the idea of losing him and their power, trying to encourage him to live on for another 250. It's all so familiar to current politics, the dictators that cling to power, their allies that themselves act like vampires, sucking away at the power and money that comes with knowing these people, keeping the status quo for their personal gain.
I think director Pablo Larraín did a fantastic job at conveying it all. With a runtime of just under two hours, it doesn't even feel that long. It's a film in constant motion, with a beautiful soundtrack that is heavily orchestral. It adds to the atmosphere, the time period, and even the drama. A lot of it is influenced by the international noir period, the culture of Europe. It's evident in the locations used, the costume design, and of course even down to the most obvious part: the film's setting and references to historical events. I really felt that this was a film that was made decades ago, a story being told from way before. I remembered the Italian cinema I had seen from the 1930s - 1960s, the Spanish cinema of the same period. There are such clear influences and it's incredibly beautiful as a result. Yet it stands on its own two feet.
If you're into that old noir period of international cinema, then I think you'll love El Conde. Particularly if you also have a love for the arthouse genre. It's a combination of the two, and it'll definitely have you recollecting over that noir period with films you loved in the past.
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