Renowned director Pablo Larraín’s new film titled will be released next month on Netflix To count. Below we share the details of this promising black and white production in which the Chilean dictator and soldier Augusto Pinochet – one of the most notorious figures in Latin American history – becomes a vampiric presence, half-cynical and overcome with eternal life.
Why is?
To count is a black horror comedy that envisions a parallel universe to Chile’s modern history. Here, fascist Augusto Pinochet is a vampire imprisoned in his run-down mansion in the south of the continent who, after 250 years of existence, decides to renounce his immortality, hurt by discredit, family conflicts and his reputation as a thief. However, an unexpected relationship will make him reconsider his wish to die given the possibility of living a passionate and counter-revolutionary life.
You co-wrote the screenplay for the film. Pablo Larrain and his frequent collaborator Guillermo Calderon. This duo has previously worked in acclaimed feature films such as The club (2015), Neruda (2016) and Emma (2019).
The occupation
Leading the cast are Jaime Vadell (NO) and Gloria Münchmeyer (the moon in the mirror), in the role of Pinochet and his wife. His daughters and sons are played in the fiction by Amparo Noguera (white girl), Antonia Zegers (case 63), Catherine Guerra (American Huaso), Diego Munoz (Neruda) and Marcial Tagle (an amazing woman). Alfredo Castro (From there) and Paula Luchsinger (The package).
Why tell this story?
To count is a Fábula production, a company headed by brothers Juan de Dios and Pablo Larraín, which aims to “show the brutal impunity that Pinochet upholds” with this film.
“For years I imagined Pinochet as a vampire, a being that never stops circulating through history, both in our imaginations and in our nightmares,” explained Pablo Larraín, who in addition to writing and producing also serves as the director ( via Netflix). “Vampires don’t die, they don’t go away, nor do the crimes and robberies of a dictator who never responded to justice.”
According to the director, the decision is that To count It was a mixture of satire and political farce, based on a desire for the public to “feel their true nature.”
“The General faces an existential crisis and must decide whether it’s worth continuing his life as a vampire, drinking the blood of his victims and punishing the world with his eternal evil,” added Larraín. “An allegorical reminder of why history must repeat itself, to remind us how dangerous things can be.”
When will it premiere?
To count will appear in the Netflix catalogue September 15, 2023. In the same month, the film will be shown in selected cinemas in Latin America after having its world premiere in the official competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.
Trailers for To count
