Film Review: Post Mortem and Tony Manero

I got the interest to see these films because of the inclusion of the Chilean film called No in this year's short list of 9 films from which the 5 nominees for Best Foreign Language Film will be picked. Pablo Larrain directed No; he also directed Post Mortem (2010) and Tony Manero (2008). Tony Manero made a lot of buzz in 2008.

v>

Post Mortem (Pablo Larrain, 2010)

In Spanish, with English subtitles

Pallid-looking (or corpse-like) Mario, the lead character in this film, works in a morgue; he transcribes the coroner's report. Atrocities are at every corner but he seems not to care. In fact, most of the people shown as characters in this film are indifferent of what's happening. They all seem to be sleepwalking. The film looks like a reconstruction of somebody else's nightmare. 

Rating: 3.0/4.0

Tony Manero (Pable Larrain, 2008)

In Spanish, with English subtitles

Raul Paredes, the lead character in this film, who calls himself Tony Manero, is a pervert who is morbidly obsessed with John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever. Actually, he qualifies as a serial killer, and whatever it is that drives him to kill is not quite clear. Maybe, he's just a pure sociopath. It is through his eyes that the atrocities and other horrors of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile are exposed in the film. Like Post Mortem, this film has disturbing images.

Rating: 3.0/4.0