Man Bites Dog — Noah Cowan

Toronto International Film Festival Program Book
1992

C’est arrivé près de chez vous | Man Bites Dog
Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoit Poelvoorde
Belgium, 1991, 95 minutes
Black and White/35mm
Production Company: Les Artistes Anonymes
Producer: Les Artistes Anonymes
Screenplay: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoit Poelvoorde, Vincent Tavier
Cinematography: André Bonzel
Editor: Eric Dardill, Rémy Belvaux
Sound: Alain Oppezzi, Vincent Tavier
Music: Jean-Marc Chenut
Special Effects: Olivier de Lavelaye
Principal Cast: Benoit Poelvoorde, Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel

Belgium, much like Canada, has produced its share of serious documentarians, chronicling the mundane lives of its citizens. Man Bites Dog, every frame dripping with irony and blood, turns this tradition on its head and kicks it in the teeth. Ben is a Belgian serial killer. Rémy, André and their film crew need a suitable subject for their new documentary. A match made in heaven. Ben, a natural in front of the camera, is not at all shy about sharing his professional secrets and philosophical insights with the viewing audience. Nor is he reticent about showing us the meat of his work. We follow Ben from body-dumping sessions to a choreographed strangulation, from (literally) scaring the life out of a grandmother to a Manson-like rape and murder. Throughout, Ben is a jaunty source of arcane and practical details about life and flesh wounds. He clearly has a great deal of professional pride, but still likes a good party (even when barfing up massive quantities of moules frites). The film crew becomes increasingly entangled in Ben’s strange lifestyle. At first, they are concerned liberals, shocked by his behaviour and seeking his inner motivation. But, as their admiration for Ben increases, they join in the fun. Soon enough they giggle through a throat-slitting orgy and gleefully slaughter a video crew which is following another serial killer. (Gotta curtail the competition, after all.) The good times seem destined to last forever. Man Bites Dog has chosen its targets well. Skewers equally impale media hype around self-aggrandizing crime celebrities and our voyeuristic fascination with “America’s Most Wanted” blood and guts. Smart, sick and searingly funny, Man Bites Dog is a riotous stab at our newest cultural icons and their media protectors. Mass murder has never been this much fun.
—Noah Cowan