Not only is he one of the central figures of the Romanian New Wave, he is also a long-standing presence at IndieLisboa, where several of his films have already screened — some of them award winners (Aferim!, 2015). This time, the drama follows in the footsteps of Bram Stoker. In the hands of the sharp-witted Radu Jude, Dracula is thrust into the present day, into a Transylvania where bitten necks coexist with workers’ strikes
Directly from Romania, of course, the director, the film, and the central figure Dracula arrive to reclaim the myth of the horrendous vampire and redefine it, this time as a convenient product. Between tourist routes and stimulants to boost libido, Dracula becomes both laborer and product of the commodification of culture, a bloody legend designed to quench the thirst of consumption and marketing.
The film follows a filmmaker suffering from creative block who turns to a fictional AI software, Dr. AI Judex 0.0, to create the “perfect” film for audiences. Ingredients such as sex, violence, outrageous humor, frenetic chases, and blood, plenty of blood, are combined with little regard for narrative cohesion or artistic quality. Here, what matters is satisfying the feverish desires of the market. Through stories within stories, bizarre imagery, and delirious interludes, Jude constructs a farce that reflects the wasteland of post-auteur cinema, cultural consumerism, and the psychosis of profit.
Dracula, the vampire, is as monstrous as he is allegorical: what truly sucks are the mechanisms of the actually existing system. Every scene, every exaggeration, and every narrative device signals the transformation of art into merchandise. In its late phase, everything, even historical memory and literary myth, can be properly packaged, sold, and consumed. With acidic humor, bold creativity, and a touch of controlled chaos, Dracula challenges the viewer to laugh at its contradictions and to reflect, perhaps realizing that the true horror is not confined to Dracula’s dreadful castle. (Jéssica Pestana)
