Post Mortem (2010)

Post Mortem is very slow moving and it never really picks up. The head scratching confusion reminds of French film making. It has a couple of really good moments that will stick with you, such as a scene during which the two main characters enjoy a good cry, a prolonged sex scene, and the final drawn out scene involving moving furniture, but all in all it's a lot of this and that without much cohesion. Basically a civil servant in charge of documenting autopsies falls in love with a bulimic showgirl who belongs to a communist group that is wanted by the state. When the state begins indiscriminately murdering the communists, our protagonist must hide his love behind a cabinet in his wall--except one problem: she has a boyfriend. There are some very explicit scenes of naked dead people but beyond that there isn't any real violence or action. The film is very moody and slow, interesting enough to sit through but not something you'll probably go and rave to your friends about. If you're a film student or just love foreign films you'll probably dig it. I thought it was okay but just wished something more suspenseful would have happened. It can't all be about atmosphere.

Set in Chile in 1973, during the final days of Allende's brutal dictatorship, Post Mortem is a rather bleak, downbeat and dreary drama. Chilean director Pablo Larrain (Tony Manero, etc) obviously is drawn towards sad, lonely obsessive protagonists with a psychotic streak. Victor (played by Marcelo Alonso, who also appeared in Tony Manero) is a civil servant who works in Santiago's morgue, typing out details of autopsies. He becomes obsessed with Nancy (Antonia Zegers), a beautiful neighbour who also works as a dancer in a local burlesque hall. During the brutal chaos of the coup, Nancy disappears. In a series of extended flashbacks we learn of her fate. Alonso's minimalist and coldly detached performance brings a suitably creepy edge to his impassive Victor. The film shares a similar visual style to Tony Manero, and those who appreciated that film may also enjoy this drama and its sharply political edge. The overt violence is kept to a minimum, but Larrain still manages to convey the horrors of Pinochet's bloody coup. Larrain loves his long takes, especially effective during the climax, but some linger far too long. Larrain's regular cinematographer Sergio Armstrong has shot the film in largely washed-out, brownish hues which adds to the oppressive atmosphere.

This disturbing movie is a masterpiece. It's about the death of a nation and the death of people. And love. It looks as has been shot in 16mm and blown up to normal format: the image is dirty, the characters are "ghosts" coming from the past, the violence is chilling. Mario, the main character, is a kind of social chameleon trying to survive in a dead society. Some scenes are unbearable: the way Mario goes backstage in the theater, the close shot of Nancy in the dressing room (think of Dreyer), the crying scene at the table, the final, incredible scene, a kind of "modern art work" putting objects one above the other. Larrain is one of the new masters of contemporary cinema, and his actors are great. Unforgettable.

I had recently watched this movie on "Festival International de Cine de Valdivia" (Valdivia's International Film Festival) and it was awful. The movie starts slowly with the story of Nancy Puelma (Antonia Zegers), a cabaret dancer, and Mario (Alfredo Castro). But the developing of the story doesn't catch the viewer, it doesn't have any interesting on it. The only story that was interesting, about Mario's job, doesn't get developed very well, and we only get the worst performance of Zegers ever, and a very very boring movie that doesn't deserve my time. On the Cinema that i had watched this only 2 people applauded at the end of the movie. It was like "What the hell!!... Why i'm watching this? This movie doesn't have any sense". There's a lot of new chilean movies that are way better than this movie. I'm NOT a follower of a dictator (Pinochet). I believe in independent political liberal ideologies. And I simply think that there are way better Chilean movies that threats these political themes in a better way like "Machuca", "Fiesta Patria", and "Bastardos en el Paraiso". In fact, Post Mortem SUCKS.