Fabrice du Welz’ psychological police thriller offers a gritty fictionalized version of the infamous Dutroux case
Borrowing its title from the provocative poetry of Comte de Lautréamont, in which the embrace of evil becomes a rebellion against Victorian morality, Fabrice du Welz’s latest work sets high expectations. The tenebrous story opens with a stylized flourish, hinting at grander aesthetic and allegorical ambitions. But like its troubled protagonist Paul Chartier (Anthony Bajon), a young detective and son of a petty criminal, those ambitions ultimately veer off course. What starts out as a psychologically ambitious exploration of institutional rot and moral decay settles into the predictable rhythms of a routine crime thriller. Thus, the plot falls short of its own lofty aspirations.
In 1995 Belgium, rookie gendarme Chartier joins a covert surveillance unit called “Maldoror” to tail a notorious sex offender: Two young girls have gone missing, and previously convicted Dedieu (Sergi López) has long been in the sight of the police. As bureaucracy fails and the case stalls, Chartier spirals into obsession and takes matters into his own hands. As the protagonist’s mental state deteriorates, the film toys with well-worn tropes: the naive rookie battling systemic corruption, the hunter drawn dangerously close to his prey, the sadistic killer who always seems one step ahead. Paul’s moral arc from dutiful cop to rogue avenger mirrors themes found in Zodiac and The Silence of the Lambs. Obsession becomes both his weapon and downfall.
Though fictionalized, the film draws heavily from the real-life Dutroux scandal, in which Belgian law enforcement’s missteps led to a major systemic overhaul. Yet, for all its dark themes, the film never quite dares to confront the disturbing truths at its core. Unlike Dutroux whose benign middle-class appearance masked abominable crimes, the fictionalized antagonist is sleazy and lower-class, stripped of the unsettling bourgeoise banality that made his real-life counterpart so chilling. This is a missed opportunity, especially given the fleeting mentions of class bias regarding Chartier’s own family background. These traces of criminological classism are left frustratingly undeveloped. Opting for a more conventional narrative path, the story slides into debatable implications about heredity and personal ruin.
Anthony Bajon convincingly captures the transformation from conformist idealist to unscrupulous vigilante. As his monstrous target Dedieu, Sergi López is appropriately unsettling, a presence of devilish menace fitting the deliberately nasty aesthetics. Cinematographer Manu Dacosse bathes the scenario in saturated reds, tainted yellow and brown shades that evoke ’70s crime thrillers. Still, the setting of the industrial town Charleroi can’t quite capture the oppressive aura of perverted bourgeoisie that was characteristic to the real crime case. Du Welz’s directorial background in horror lingers in ominous flourishes: pungent dread, stark violence, even a bizarre scene of enforcement cannibalism. It’s a garish descent into psychological instability that tends more to sensationalism than social insight and systemic critique.
His sinister story shies away from the uncomfortable realities of the notorious story; an institutional indifference and silent social complicity only hinted at. There is a palpable reluctance to meaningfully engage with the Dutroux case, particularly the institutional failures and societal blind spots that enabled it. What could have been a bold cinematic reckoning turns into something safer and more schematic. Despite its atmospheric cinematography and performances that rise above the script’s limitations, this thriller hardly dares to explore the darkness it implies. Rather, it builds a semi-fictional monument to the lasting collective trauma of Dutroux’ murders. The result isn’t cathartic but commercial.
In his best moments, Maldoror is a stylistic and emotionally charged plunge into obsession, injustice, and the hidden malignancy lurking within trusted systems. A bold atmosphere, haunting performances, and moral ambitiousness still make this Belgian neon noir a worthwhile exercise in genre cinema.
- OT: Maldoror
- Director: Fabrice du Welz
- Year: 2024
