The acting is so awful, watching and especially hearing (accents and voice acting reminds me of dubbing in cheap B movies) Julie Delpy is so cringeworthy. Even William Hurt looks lost. The story unfolds in a monotonous boring way, terrible script. Delpy should take lessons from successful actors turned directors like Clint Eastwood, Mel Gibson,... to see how it is done.

its basic virtue is to present a different perspective about a well known story. not the most inspired but credible. and courageous because it gives an inspired fresco of a period. conflicts and fears. need of success. a fragile love story. and revenge. the portrait of Countess Bathory is not only different but good exercise of details'exploration. because it is a story from East. but, in same measure, it reminds the status of a woman in an Europe looking its useful transformation's tools. a film about force and vulnerability. seductive for the meeting between Julie Delppy with a role who becomes fascinating puzzle. and a not surprising performance, in a small role but wise explored, by Anamaria Marinca.a film who impress for its new perspective about a classic character.and that could be good support for reflection.

One admires Delpy for writing and directing and, given the fascinating historical material, it'd appear hard not to come out with something good. Alas, THE COUNTESS misses badly on every and all levels. Its a poor love story, historical account, morality tale, feminist doctrine, suspense work or anything else it might be. There are cringe-worthy embarrassing moments; e.g., when the Countess gets her first "taste" of blood, when her staff simply roll their eyes and abet the murder of young women, when the Countess' young love succumbs to bedding his monstrous arrest-warrant subject and -truly hard to sit through- when our heroine "redeems" herself of sadistic murders via a soul-searching and indicting soliloquy. I get the idea that the favorable COMMENTS here in IMDb are mostly females too attached to their gender identity to see the forest for the trees. It's no accident that this film found no concern willing to release it. PS: Hurt is a redeeming virtue and Delpy still manages to show she's a top rate actress. Bruhl was awful casting and both looks and acts like a "gee whiz" high school kid better seen on TV.

Beautfull images. Lovely story. Impresive ambitions.A page of Hungarian history. A legendary character and a director who desire to create all in same measure, in same time.Elisabeth Bathory is an enigma. So, only can be authentic slices of her life. Speculations are strange if the clothes are inappropriate. In this case, Julie Delpy lumps details,emotions, assumptions. But remains unfinished mosaic. The desire to create a great movie , build gaps and chaotic spaces. Result - stiffness. The dialogs are artificial. The story is unclear. The myths are ink traces. And the consolation is presence of Anamaria Marinca. The recipes of ambiguous reality is wrong applicate. But the details , the presume atmosphere, the real good intentions are not denied. A film. About shadows of an existence.