El Conde follows Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, a 250-year-old vampire, waiting eagerly to embrace death but failing to achieve it despite his wishes.
The Netflix Chilean film El Conde plays with multiple themes by presenting a real-life historical figure in the gothic setting of a vampire fantasy drama. Directed by Pablo Larraín, the satire presents Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) as a desperate vampire seeking the mercy of death.
After living a life of glory, Augusto finds himself in a peculiar situation when he really struggles with dying, despite having the unabashed support of his family, who stands to benefit from the dictator’s death. The ensuing struggle paves the way for consistent chaos and strong socio-political commentary. In particular, El Conde’s ending leaves the audience on a thoughtful note, highlighting the cyclic nature of history and life.
El Conde Story Summary
Claude Pinoche (Jaime Vadell) has tasted blood from all across the world, says the narrator in her British accent. The count’s favorite blood remains that of British origin whereas he does not recommend the blood of workers from South America. The dreary look on the face of the old count reflects the long nature of his existence as Claude Pinoche’s tale is one that is centuries old.
His adventures began in France where he lived in an orphanage for 20 years before becoming an officer in the army of Louis XVI. One unfortunate day, Pinoche came to realize his true identity when he ended up biting the neck of a harlot in a drunken state. The next day, suspecting Pinoche to be a vampire, the group of harlots try putting a stake through his heart, only to end up dying at his hands, brutally.
When the revolution broke out in France, Pinoche witnessed the beheading of the nobility he served. The only delight he gained from the entire experience came when he was able to taste the blood of Marie Antoinette from the guillotine used to behead the French queen.
How Did Augusto Pinochet Become a Fascist?
Eventually, in memory of his beloved king, Pinoche decided that he would fight against all future revolutions. The first step involved crafting his own death and removing his name from the pages of history. Before leaving France with some money, Pinoche also stole the head of Marie Antoinette and replaced it with the head of another dead woman.
Years after his departure from France, Pinoche continued to fight revolutions in Russia, Haiti, and Algeria. After fighting for years as a soldier, Pinoche finally set his eyes on becoming a commander. To fulfill his plan, Pinoche set foot in Chile – a country without a king – with the aim of becoming a king of the land, under the name Augusto Pinochet Ugarte. He also married a woman of his liking, Lucía Hiriart (Gloria Münchmeyer).
In 1973, General Pinochet staged a coup d’etat to oust the socialist president, Salvador Allende, rescuing the country from the Bolsheviks. In private, Pinochet preferred to be called “El Conde”, meaning “The Count”. Thereon, he brought prosperity to Chile and amassed massive wealth, accumulating unparalleled power in his hands.
Pinochet Fakes His Death to Escape Punishment
After spending nearly four decades at the helm of Chile, Pinochet decided to fake his death once again when he was cornered by the authorities with charges of corruption and crimes. In the public eye, the Captain General was laid to rest but the Count continued to exist. After promising his wife that he wishes to rest and die, Pinochet appears to have returned to his hunting spree one day, feeding on the hearts of his young victims.
The news of their father’s hunting adventures in the city brings his concerned kids back home although the concerns are rooted in their father’s recent urge for blood, reflecting his intention to live a longer life. The five heirs of Pinochet’s wealth – his children Luciana, Mercedes, Jacinta, Aníbal, and Manuel – fear that their father’s prolonged existence would only keep their well-deserved inheritance away from them for longer. At the dinner table, Pinochet senses his family’s desperation to get their hands on his fortune and reveals the location of the secret documents that may contain the location where all his money has been holed up.
El Conde remains the only vampire in the family and his family is well aware of his vampirism. Although Pinochet allowed his kids to have a normal life, he gave his Russian butler, Fyodor (Alfredo Castro), the gift of eternal life when he bit him in the 1990s to thank him for his loyalty. It is also revealed that Fyodor is having an affair with the lady of the house, Lucía. Possibly, Lucía hopes that one day, Fyodor will bite her and make her a vampire – something Pinochet has not allowed her even after 60 years of marriage.
Whenever Lucía proposes to her husband the idea of Pinochet biting her and leaving together to live in another city as a young couple, Pinochet just wonders why he couldn’t succumb to death despite his attempts. Meanwhile, under the guise of an accountant who has come to manage the former Chilean general’s finances, Carmencita (Paula Luchsinger) is brought to the house by the kids. In reality, Carmencita is an exorcist nun tasked with exorcising the demon within Pinochet and relieving him of his painful existence.
However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, Pinochet’s interactions with Carmen reignite his passion for life. It appears that Pinochet has started kindling love for Carmen in his undying heart. Unfortunately, Pinochet’s aged body fails to keep up with the desires of his young heart, making him look for the blood of the young. Unfortunately, Pinochet only comes across old middle-aged men on his hunt.
Does Carmen Successfully Exorcize Pinochet?
While the Count goes hunting, Carmen continues to dig into the blood-ridden history of Augusto Pinochet. Despite Carmen’s compelling arguments that prove Pinochet has been responsible for the cold-blooded killings of many during his reign, his children refuse to believe that their father can harm anybody, at least willingly.
Moreover, the conversations with the siblings lead to chilling revelations about the illegal ways in which Pinochet, along with his confidant Fyodor, killed and looted the citizens of Chile mercilessly. Fyodor’s words send a chill through the spine of Carmen as she stands witness to a man beaming in pride for his heinous acts.
Later, when Lucía tries to persuade Fyodor to kill Pinochet, the loyal butler spills that he was the one who carried out the recent huntings, pretending to be El Conde, in a bid to force Pinochet’s children to kill him. As Fyodor is incapable of killing his master, he instills fear in the heart of Pinochet’s heirs to bring them home with the plan of Pinochet’s murder in their minds.
On the other hand, Carmen makes a futile attempt at exorcizing El Conde and ends up being converted by him. As a result, the nun sent to exorcise the vampire becomes the vampire herself, enjoying a freedom that she never experienced in her god-loving, human form. Pinochet and Carmen’s unison paves the way to the appearance of a surprise guest, and the narrator, the British woman who’s revealed to be a vampire herself, is forced to come to the forefront, thanks to El Conde’s betrayal.
Meanwhile, Fyodor finds the evidence that Carmen has been gathering during her stay at the house, leading to a flood of suspicions regarding Carmen’s true intentions. Lucía tries to make Fyodor kill Carmen, but Fyodor offers to bite Lucía instead and asks him to murder Augusto. Adamant that Fyodor will need to win her by killing Augusto, she denies Fyodor’s offer. But before Lucía can do much, Fyodor proceeds with his bare fangs, turning Lucía into a vampire.
El Conde Ending Explained
With Carmen still in his bed, Pinochet is visited by Margaret (Stella Gonet), the narrator of Pinochet’s tale so far. Years ago, Margaret was bitten by a vampire in France when he assaulted her. Although Margaret gave birth to the sailor’s child later, she exacted her revenge on the vampire by putting a stake through his heart. On February 26, 1766, Margaret gave birth to a child who later went on to become Augusto Pinochet, the leader of Chile. Before abandoning the kid in a basket outside an orphanage, Margaret gave him the name of Claude Pinoche.
Thereon, Margaret Roberts traveled to Great Britain and married a man named Denis Thatcher, going on to become the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Margaret searched relentlessly for centuries for her child, but she found him only when she met her for an official visit in the capacity of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Now, Margaret has finally arrived to unite with her son and live the life she always desired. Unfortunately, Carmen must die for Margaret’s plan to work. After all, she brought Carmen down to evoke Pinochet’s lust for life.
What Happens to August Pinochet in ‘El Conde’?
With the number of vampires at the Pinochet residence suddenly peaking, the Pinochet siblings are inspired to conspire together and plan the murder of the vampires. El Conde‘s ending reveals a chaotic turn of events.
When Carmen’s true intentions are revealed, it becomes clear that the Church sent Carmen to kill El Conde and bring all the secret documents with her. The documents would later help the Church wield the wealth and leverage once controlled by El Conde, Augusto Pinochet. At the same time, Lucía tries to kill Augusto with the help of Fyodor but ends up dying at her husband’s hands when Lucía poses a danger to Margaret’s life. In return, Fyodor guillotines Carmen, evoking Augusto’s rage and inviting a similar fate for himself.
Failing to kill the vampires and get their hands on Augusto’s fortune, the children gather whatever is left in the house and leave for good. When the other nuns from the Church arrive at the house, they find it deserted. Meanwhile, Margaret and Augusto decide to lead a new life, leaving with the most prized possessions of Augusto – the letters of Napoleon, the diaries of Darwin, and the first edition of Hitler‘s Mein Kampf.
Feeding on young blood, the vampire mother-son duo brings back the vitality of their youth. On the insistence of 15-year-old Augusto, Margaret chooses to stay back in the country. A fascist by nature, El Conde aims to uproot the leftists right from their foundations where they thrive. Even in his new life, a young El Conde continues to stick to his political ideologies.
El Conde is now streaming on Netflix.
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