With the simple premise of a small documentary crew closely following the antics of a serial killer, “Man Bites Dog” takes the category of mocumentary filmmaking to a whole new level. We follow Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde, who also produces and co-directs), a charismatic and yet highly dangerous psychopath, who is the subject of a documentary shot by Rémy (Rémy Belveux, who serves as a director and editor for the film) and André (André Bronzel, who’s also the cameraman for the film). We are drawn into Ben’s life, his family, his friends, his everyday habits, but just when we think he is a regular human being albeit with some very dark humour, his actions turn to ultra-violence and his rationalization of them makes it all the more disturbing and yet strangely satisfying at the same time.

For a 1992 belgian film, “Man Bites Dog” was way ahead of its time. Thematizing complex topics such as media violence, journalistic integrity and morality in the part of media/content creators, the film brings to the forefront a variety of issues that will make many viewers uncomfortable, even today. But this is exactly the reason why this film is important and why it should be more widely seen: it is a very actual satire that brings up questions of the media world and our moral stance towards it. As the movie progresses, we see how the documentary crew slowly degenerates and revels in the same twisted acts that give Ben his kicks, posing the question, without giving any definite answer, how are they better than their subject matter?

In a world where almost every news report seems to tell about a tragedy happening at some point of the planet, about the massive acts of violence that no one seems to be able to stop in time, but the reporters are there exactly afterwards to tell the story (for there is no story before the tragic event, only after), does something such as human integrity by the sides of the media exist? In a world where all the best-selling movies and video games show glorified depictions of violence, what sort of morality expects us in the future? Now, “Man Bites Dog” is a very violent film, that’s for sure, but it doesn’t ever try shy away from it nor take a self-righteous stance regarding the violence it protrays (what happens quite often in war films). The fact that it is a mocumentary allows the filmmakers to work with a certain degree of self-awareness, what in turn makes it clear that they’re all but fetichizing this killer’s despicable acts. Ben tries to justify and rationalize his actions all the time, but the film never portrays him as if he were right, nor as if he were a good man.

The whole project was held together by three men, namely the director (Belveux), cameraman (Bronzel) and main actor (Poelvoorde), and let me say that they all do an excellent job. Poelvoorde’s Ben is as charismatic an on-screen persona as you can get, making it somewhat difficult to hate this despicable man, even after you see all he’s done. The camera work is pretty solid, adopting a fly-on-the-wall strategy, but sometimes getting mixed in the action all together. Belveux, who also appears in the film as himself, the director of the mocumentary, seems to balance pretty well along the line that divides reality and fiction, somehow taking part in both realms, and yet managing to maintain his vision without compromising too much into the more pervasive elements of the picture.

“Man Bites Dog” may get too brutal at times for some viewers, but mixed with relevant comentary about the modern media landscape and a healthy dose of black humour added, it is a film well quite worth your time. It is little known and may be somewhat hard to find, but if you’re interested in a different view on mediatic affairs or are simply looking for another (smart) killer movie, not to mention all the laughs you’ll get while watching this, I highly recommend giving this a shot. Like I said, it may some times be uncomfortable to sit through all the violence (after all, this film got the infamous NC-17 rating), but the overall message and the ingeniuty with which this was shot (it may be worth noting the film was done for around $30.000) make this little belgian film an experience that all those more intrepid viewers won’t want to miss out on.

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