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.
With “Maldoror,” filmmaker Fabrice du Welz reimagines the Dutroux Affair, one of the most frustrating and fascinating conspiratorial cases that forever changed his country of Belgium. Although the names and some elements have been altered – the systemic rot enabled by a bureaucratic abuse of power remains on screen. To this day, aspects of the Dutroux affair have continued to perplex many investigators and, back in the ‘90s, nearly caused a revolution in the country. It also marked a major shift in Belgian citizens’ faith in their government and the police. The three police departments, local, federal, and judicial, which were involved in the case, acting as rivals, worked against one another. Their mishandling of the investigation led to a complete overhaul of the police with a restructuring that merged the three departments in 2001.
“Maldoror” begins in 1995 and then seamlessly follows the investigation over several years. du Welz co-wrote the screenplay with Domenico La Porta, and the pair have a passion for procedural crime thrillers dating from the ‘70s to recent features. Working with cinematographer Manuel Dacosse, the two capture the decaying industrial city of Charleroi (which was once a thriving place more than a century ago). The camera movement has a neo-realistic approach undoubtedly perfected by William Friedkin in “The French Connection” and his criminally overlooked “Sorcerer.” “Maldoror’s” opening credits resemble some horror being played on a worn-out VHS tape with a score by Vincent Cahay that is reminiscent of John Carpenter’s hauntingly propulsive synths.
The story focuses on Paul Chartier (Anthony Bajon), a young police officer for the Gendarmerie who had a traumatic childhood and aspires to become a detective. He becomes involved with a case after two young girls are kidnapped, joining a string of prior abductions that have gone unsolved. This screenplay is incredibly fast-moving, like Fincher’s “Zodiac,” when facts and misinformation are rapidly tossed in. And sifting through these murky waters becomes enrapturing. It has all the elements of a crime epic with its running time, a plethora of characters, and a relatively lengthy wedding scene that feels inspired by “The Godfather” or “The Deer Hunter.” Paul marries Gina (Alba Gaia Bellugi), whose parents run the Italian Catholic Mission and offers him a chance to be part of a loving family. There are a handful of monstrous characters throughout “Maldoror,” but Sergi Lopez – who played one of the most dastardly villains in “Pan’s Labyrinth” – is hands down the most nefarious.
Paul’s obsession begins after interviewing a scrapper who states he knows a man who has been working on his cellar for over two years and has boasted of kidnapping young girls. Initially, Paul’s colleagues are dismissive of the interview, because the scrapper asks to be paid for his information, and he has a history of filing false reports. Paul wishes to join the judicial branch of the police, but his troubled past begins to come to light. His father was a convicted criminal, and his mother was a sex worker who was not allowed to have custody of him when he was a child. However, his background of knowing criminals and local brothels gives him a leg up on other cops. Plus, Paul has an extraordinary mind for remembering details.
The local police are unhelpful, refusing to share past case files nor providing information on a recent failed abduction. While many films have showcased cops bending the rules or breaking the law to crack a case, “Maladoror” makes it grounded and compelling. His partner, Luis (Alexis Manenti), is torn between believing his partner while worried about the ramifications of pursuing the case can have on his personal life and career. Eventually, Paul’s work leads to a network of reprehensible men with connections to blackmail, murder, and the trafficking of children.
Aside from “Zodiac,” there are also references to “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Memories of Murder,” and “Hannibal.” During the final credits, du Welz thanks Tobe Hooper – director of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.” Like those stories, “Maldoror” also shakes you to the core with dark depths humans can sink to while restoring your faith in the future of film.
“Maldoror” recently premiered Out of Competition at the 2024 Venice Film Festival
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