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'''Man Bites Dog''' is a satirical, Belgian, black comedy mockumentary starring Benoît Poelvoorde. Released in 1992, its original French language title is '''C'est arrivé près de chez vous''' (''It Happened Close to Your House''), which derives from the former title of the local daily news report in Belgian newspaper ''Le Soir''. In the film, a crew of filmmakers follow a serial killer, recording his crimes and grotesquely candid commentary for a documentary they are producing. At first dispassionate observers, they find themselves caught up in the increasingly chaotic violence. The film is shot in black and white and was produced on a shoe-string budget by four student filmmakers, led by director Rémy Belvaux. The genesis of the idea came from shooting a documentary without any money. As the filming went on, the students were able to garner more support and ultimately find a distributor.

Contents

Plot

Censorship

External links

Plot

Benoit is a charming and charismatic young man who maintains a healthy relationship with his parents, plays the piano and discusses at length whatever comes to mind, be it architecture, philosophy, or classical music (such as the chamber group his lady friend plays the flute in). He is also a serial killer who goes on murderous rampages for his own enjoyment. A film crew made up of three men join Benoit on his sadistic adventures, recording the sickening actions as a fly on the wall documentary. Benoit takes them to meet his family and friends, while explaining at length the "craft" of his work. Eventually, the filmmakers begin to assist Benoit in his murders by helping him to dispose of the bodies. At one point, Benoit and the documentarians run across another group of filmmakers making a documentary about another serial killer. They then begin to participate in the murders, taking part in a drunken gang rape of a woman whom they catch having sex with her husband after breaking into an apartment.
One by one, the film crew is killed off through different means, such as being shot by one of Benoit's victims who is a local mafioso. Eventually, the Mafia find that Benoit has killed one of their own and send skewered rats to him and those he cares for as warnings. Benoit is also caught by the authorities and sent to prison. He escapes, nonetheless, and calls the film crew to drive him back home. There, Benoit is horrified to learn that the Mafia has violently murdered his lady friend and his parents. Returning to his hideout, Benoit begins to recite his poem 'Pigeon'. Just as he is reciting it, he and the rest of the film crew are shot and killed on camera by the vengeful gangsters.

Censorship

For foreign release (not including the Region 4/Australian release), the baby's pacifier was changed to a pair of human teeth on the poster.

External links

★

★ Criterion Collection essay by Matt Zoller Seitz

★ Benoît Poelvoorde's page on the film