Post Mortem (II) (2010)

In Chile, 1973, during the last days of Salvador Allende's presidency, an employee at a Morgue's recording office falls for a burlesque dancer who mysteriously disappears.

Director:

Pablo Larraín

Writers:

Eliseo Altunaga (screenplay), Mateo Iribarren,

Stars:

Alfredo Castro, Antonia Zegers, Jaime Vadell

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alfredo Castro	...	Mario Cornejo
Antonia Zegers	...	Nancy Puelma
Jaime Vadell	...	Dr. Castillo
Amparo Noguera	...	Sandra
Marcelo Alonso	...	Víctor
Marcial Tagle	...	Captain Montes
Santiago Graffigna	...	David Puelma
Ernesto Malbran	...	Arturo Puelma
Aldo Parodi	...	Pato
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Constanza B. Majluf	...	Enfermera
Steve Nave	...	Lt. Davenport

Storyline

Mario, 55, works in a morgue typing autopsy reports. In the midst of the 1973 Chilean coup, he fantasizes about his neighbor Nancy, a cabaret dancer, who mysteriously disappears on September the 11th. After a violent Army raid on her family's home, he hears about the arrest of her brother and father, a prominent Communist and Salvador Allende supporter. Troubled and madly passionate over the loss of his would-be lover, Mario begins his frantic search for Nancy.

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Plot Keywords:

morgue | autopsy | chile | showgirl | year 1973 | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [cl]

Country:

Chile Germany Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 April 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Santiago '73

Company Credits

Production Co:

Autentika Films, Canana Films, Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Sandra: These people were not here. Why are they here now?

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Connections

Featured in Sin maquillaje: Alfredo Castro (2011)

User Reviews

Politics and psychology = successful black humor

"Pos-Mortem" won the 2nd Coral at the 2010 Havana film Festival, as well as acting prizes for two of the protagonists. It is a slow film, certainly, but builds up public and private tensions into a state of near-hysteria: violent scenes are suddenly deconstructed with moments of black humor -- clever and believable while upturning the viewers' anxiety. The political moment, the most dire in modern Chilean history, inserted into the dailiness of a job at a general hospital autopsy lab and morgue, shows both inexplicable social tragedy and, almost horribly, how familiarity with violent death almost, almost, breeds contempt. The quiet camera and murky grey lighting allow squarish, static settings to open slowly onto their meaning and context -- individual and historical; and the somewhat unsympathetic but not unappealing protagonist shows his true alienation and self-interest in a splendidly dark, comic finale. A clever, funny film with strong reminders of how the blackest history can repeat itself.