Man Bites Dog
Directed by Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel
- comedy
- crime
The story
The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants. Ben provides casual commentary on the nature of his work and arbitrary musings on topics of interest to him, such as music or the conditions of low-income housing, and even goes so far as to introduce the documentary crew to his family. But their reckless indulgences soon get the better of them.
What it’s like
Grainy black-and-white video in the flat, unflattering style of a cheap documentary crew: handheld camera jolting along cramped Belgian streets, interviews framed head-on in dim apartments, and a constant sense that someone is holding the camera just a little too close. The sound is mostly direct, unpolished location audio, with the occasional jaunty accordion-tinged cue that makes the wrong moments feel wrong. Its vibe is deadpan and corrosive, a mordant mockumentary about ordinary banality curdling into horror. It suits a late night alone when you want something unsettling and sardonic rather than cosy. The brutality is explicit and frequent: graphic violence, gunfire, murder shown with unflinching bluntness, some sexual violence, and a steady drip of cruelty and racist and misogynist remarks played for discomfort. Pacing is loose and episodic, the tone flat and detached, and the central relationship is a charming, chatty killer slowly pulling his filmmakers into complicity. It is for viewers who enjoy transgressive black comedy and can stomach its extremity.
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