THE STORY – When two girls go missing, Paul Chartier, an impulsive young police recruit, is assigned to “Maldoror”. This secret unit has been set up to monitor a dangerous sex offender. When the operation fails, fed up with the limits of the legal system, Chartier embarks on a solitary hunt to bring down the culprits.
THE CAST – Anthony Bajon, Alba Gaïa Bellugi, Alexis Manenti, Sergi López, Laurent Lucas, David Murgia, Béatrice Dalle, Lubna Azabal, Jackie Berroyer, Mélanie Doutey & Félix Maritaud
THE TEAM – Fabrice Du Welz (Director/Writer) & Domenico La Porta (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 155 Minutes
Premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in an out-of-competition slot, this chilling Belgian thriller from director/co-writer Fabrice Du Welz is based on a real-life case – namely, the judicial scandal surrounding serial killer and child molester Marc Dutroux. As such, it’s a frequently shocking tale that is certain to leave audiences both deeply uncomfortable and seething with rage.
Beginning in 1995 and set in the run-down Belgian town of Charleroi (the second time the town has been featured in a movie at Venice this year), the film centers on fresh-faced police officer Paul Chartier (Anthony Bajon), who’s assigned to Operation Maldoror, a covert team tasked with the surveillance of Marcel Dedier (Sergi Lopez), the chief suspect in the recent disappearance of two young girls. Chartier proves to be a dogged detective and soon uncovers evidence that Dedier is indeed guilty, but a series of shocking inter-departmental failures – ranging from negligence to out-and-out corruption – lead to the collapse of the case, forcing an increasingly frustrated Chartier to take the law into his own hands.
Du Welz creates a striking sense of place, depicting Charleroi as a town with a palpable veil of apathy. Chartier’s colleagues barely bother to do their jobs properly and, in the process, miss key evidence. He also does a good job evoking the time period, thanks to some astute costume choices and production design, heightened by some distinctive soundtrack picks.
The Dutroux case had a huge impact on Belgium at the time, and the script captures the ensuing psychological damage as it reverberates first through the town and then through the country. To that end, the film places the audience in an uncomfortable position, effectively forcing you to ask yourself what you would do in Chartier’s shoes, feeling both his anger and his frustration.
Bajon is a revelation in the lead role; the actor has a remarkably sweet, almost baby-faced demeanor that serves the character well, both in his initial innocence (doggedly pursuing his detective work, as yet unaware of the forces mounted against him) and his impulsive anger later on. Similarly, Sergi Lopez (once a mainstay of European cinema) is as utterly repulsive as Dedier, delivering a performance so sleazy it will make you want to take a shower afterward.
In addition, there’s strong support from Beatrice Dalle (“Betty Blue”) as Chartier’s estranged mother and from Alba Gaïa Bellugi as his pregnant wife, Gina. Laurent Lucas is superb as Chartier’s boss Hinkel, complete with an elaborately scarred make-up job that makes him look like a Nazi officer.
Du Welz made his name as a horror director with the likes of “Calvaire” (2004) and “Vinyan” (2008); he brings that sensibility to bear here with the film’s most terrifying scene, a sequence involving Chartier and an encounter with a flesh-eating pig, heightened by some truly disturbing sound design work.
However, Du Welz arguably oversteps the mark. One scene, in particular, involves the contents of a videotape and the despicable actions of the perpetrators with some young children – the blocking is cleverly done so that the audience doesn’t see anything, but the sound design and dialogue are deeply upsetting. And, while it’s not exactly exploitative, it’s questionable whether the scene was truly necessary. On the plus side, the film builds to an impressive final act that manages to both satisfy and infuriate in equal measure. The closing few minutes are especially good, ending on a perfect note of pettiness that feels apt.
In short, this is a superbly-acted, small-town thriller that should appeal to fans of True Crime, even if the story itself has been significantly embellished. On that note, you should probably only research the real-life case if you want to be struck down with an all-pervasive and utterly depressing sense of powerlessness. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
