Acclaimed writer-director Pablo Larraín is turning his gaze toward Argentina for the first time with “My Sad Dead” (“Mis muertos tristes”), a project adapted from three stories by Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez. The feature, which premiered in competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival where it won the Golden Shell, reunites Larraín with frequent collaborator Guillermo Calderón and marks another foray into genre cinema, similar to his 2023 film “The Count.”
The Netflix miniseries, produced through Larraín’s Fabula label alongside his brother Juan de Dios Larraín, was condensed into a nearly three-hour theatrical cut to compete for the festival’s top honor. The film boasts an ensemble cast featuring some of Argentina’s most prominent actors, including Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, Alejandra Flechner, and Carolina Álvarez.
The narrative centers on Ema, played by Morán, a recently retired physician who possesses the ability to see and hear the deceased. Haunted by the loss of her mother and unresolved personal matters, Ema’s existence is upended when her niece Julie arrives and three teenagers are murdered in the dangerous neighborhood of Piedrabuena. As a supernatural phenomenon begins to permeate the area, the barrier between the living and the dead dissolves, transforming Ema’s private burden into a communal nightmare.
In a conversation with Variety at San Sebastián, Larraín and Enriquez discussed the origins of the material and the dynamics of their cross-border collaboration. Enriquez revealed that the story draws heavily from her personal history; her mother is a public hospital doctor, and the fictional setting is modeled after the peripheral, often overlooked neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.
Enriquez also addressed the supernatural elements, noting that while the protagonist’s abilities are fictional, they echo real experiences within her family. She described relatives who claim to sense impending events through smells or sight spirits, inspirations she channeled into the narrative.
When asked about a specific subplot involving a character engaging in sexual relations with ghosts, Enriquez cited the 1982 horror film “The Entity” as a point of departure. She expressed interest in reimagining such encounters not through fear, but as consensual interactions rooted in ecstasy and sanity, drawing parallels to historical accounts of saints who believed they were married to the Holy Spirit.
For Larraín, the production represented a significant personal discovery. Although he had visited Buenos Aires, working on the ground in Argentina allowed him to connect deeply with local crews and communities. “I started to understand that the things that are similar are way more than the things that are different,” Larraín said. “I really felt at home in a way.”
Larraín also highlighted the technical challenges of the project, particularly its sound design. He noted that much of the storytelling relies on audio elements that exist outside the visual frame, a technique he found both intriguing and demanding, especially given the film’s eventual broadcast on television.
Reflecting on the thematic core of the film, Larraín observed that while audiences are accustomed to viewing the dead through the lens of the living, this adaptation offers a reciprocal perspective. “Now we get to know what the dead are also feeling when they’re claiming their presence,” he explained. “They’re saying, ‘Please, I need your attention.’ It’s interesting because now we get to understand them a little bit more. There’s empathy towards them.”
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