Fabrice Du Welz tackles a big piece with The Maldoror File. For this chilling thriller, he was freely inspired by the Dutroux affair. It tells how an idealistic young police officer, played by a better than ever Anthony Bajon, loses his footing after being confronted with this case of the disappearance of little girls leading to a terrible child abuse case which traumatized Belgium.
“I was twenty years old at the time of the affair,” says the Belgian director. We watched it every evening on RTBF. We could see an hour of commission of inquiry where all the different protagonists in the affair came to testify. It was a truly edifying spectacle. » It is through fiction that the filmmaker plunges into the history of his country but the border with reality is thin, informing the viewer about disturbing truths.
Apart from the official thesis
“After witnessing all the dysfunctions, the lies, the corruption, the conflicts of interest, I wanted to make a film about it,” explains the director. But I had to give myself time to tackle these subjects which were completely beyond me. » Fabrice Du Welz delved into the details of the Dutroux affair before tackling writing. He also met with police officers and witnesses to try to understand the case.
“Two theses are opposed,” says Fabrice du Welz, “but, if we have a little sense, we quickly realize that the official thesis, that of the isolated predator, does not hold up. But I don't consider myself a conspirator. » The Maldoror File explores the theory that Marc Dutroux was part of a pedophile ring and bore the blame for others.
Taking care of Belgium
“I’m going to stay in my place,” insists the director. I am not a lawyer and even less a judge. But for having nevertheless stuck my nose in certain files, making Dutroux the alpha and omega of this affair is giving a lot of importance to this guy who is an animal only capable of impulses. Afterwards, I don't know how far the matter goes. We may never know. » The scenario, fictitious let us remember, suggests the existence of complicity at a very high level. The demonstration is blood-curdling, giving food for thought about the official version.
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“My deep feeling is that the Dutroux affair has plunged Belgium into an increasingly federal state which no longer constitutes a society at all today,” insists Fabrice du Welz. Despite the words of certain Belgians in show business or sport who show the world how nice it is to be Belgian, I think that it is an extremely fractured country which has not recovered from the Dutroux affair. » Its brilliant, harsh and powerful film leaves a taste of ashes in the mouth. If The Maldoror File is a bandage for Belgium, it is above all an excellent thriller which defends the universal thesis that the idealism of a man is not enough in the face of a corrupt system.
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