Maldoror (film)

Maldoror is an upcoming 2024 crime thriller film co-written and directed by Fabrice Du Welz. Inspired by the judicial scandal surrounding Belgian serial killer and child molester Marc Dutroux, Maldoror stars Anthony Bajon as a young policeman who becomes obsessed with a case involving a notorious child abuser. The film is a co-production between Belgium and France.

The film is set to premiere on 3 September 2024 at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Following the disappearance of two girls, impulsive young police officer Paul Chartier is assigned to the secret unit "Maldoror" to monitor a dangerous sex offender. When the operation is undone by the dysfunctional police and legal system, a frustrated and obsessed Chartier takes the hunt for the perpetrator into his own hands.

• Anthony Bajon as Paul Chartier
• Alba Gaïa Bellugi
• Alexis Manenti
• Sergi López
• Laurent Lucas
• David Murgia
• Béatrice Dalle
• Lubna Azabal
• Jackie Berroyer
• Mélanie Doutey
• Félix Maritaud

In September 2021, shortly following the premiere of Inexorable, it was announced Fabrice Du Welz was finishing a screenplay for a film titled Maldoror which was expected to begin shooting in 2022.^[2] Du Welz co-wrote the screenplay with Domenico La Porta.^[3] For the project Du Welz would once again be working with producer Jean-Yves Roubin, who described the film as a blend of thriller and film noir in a similar style to David Fincher's Zodiac (2007).^[2]

The film was inspired by the Affaire Dutroux, a notorious crime case that transformed Belgium in the 1990s. The scandal is named for Marc Dutroux, a convicted Belgian serial killer, rapist, and child molester who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996.^[2] He was first jailed in 1989 for abduction and rape, but was released on parole after just three years. In 1995 and 1996 he kidnapped six girls, four of whom he later murdered.^[4] The lenient result of Dutroux's first prosecution, as well as shortcomings on the part of the police in investigating his murders, caused widespread discontent with the criminal justice system – resulting in the complete reorganisation of Belgium's law enforcement agencies.^[5] In the White March held on 20 October 1996, 300,000 Belgian citizens protested the mishandling of the case.^[6]

Although based on a real case, the film centers on a policeman tracking down Dutroux, a character which Du Welz fictionalized.^[2] Du Welz described the film as being "based on the Dutroux case and set in the real Belgium of the 1990s" but that he "wanted above all to talk about the police and judicial dysfunctions that really took place around this case and they are treated in a realistic way, but the plot is fictional. So it's not the Dutroux case brought to the screen."^[7] He also stated that it was "designed to shed light on a societal trauma and offer a fresh perspective on our ability to confront evil".^[8] Du Welz had wanted to make the film for 15 years and predicted it would be the biggest project he had ever worked on,^[7] even describing it as the "the project of [my] life".^[9]

Anthony Bajon, known for the films The Prayer (2018) and Junkyard Dog (2023), plays the lead role of police recruit Paul Chartier. Co-stars include Alba Gaïa Bellugi, Alexis Manenti (who starred alongside Bajon in Athena) and Sergi López. The cast includes several actors in secondary roles who have worked with Du Welz in the past, including Laurent Lucas and Jackie Berroyer, both of whom starred in his 2004 psychological horror Calvaire. Du Welz described both actors as "family" with whom he felt comfortable to focus on "just the work, quickly and well, in the service of a film."^[7] He also originally intended for Benoît Poelvoorde to star in the role inspired by Marc Dutroux.^[10]

The film was produced by Jean-Yves Roubin and Cassandre Warnauts for the Belgian company Frakas Productions, and by Manuel Chiche for the French company The Jokers Films, who will also distribute the film in France. The film also received support from several government initiatives such as Wallimage, Tax Shelter, Canal+ and France 2 Cinéma.^[3] International sales are handled by WTFilms.^[11]

Filming was originally expected to begin in fall 2022.^[10] However, in August 2022, Frakas Productions published a casting announcement with extras being sought for filming to take place in March 2023 in the Charleroi region.^[9] Principal photography, however, ultimately began on 4 May 2023 and wrapped on 28 June.^[3] Filming in Marchienne-au-Pont took place beginning on 8 May 2023, where the town hall was used.^[12][13] The cinematographer was Manuel Dacosse,^[14] who previously worked with Du Welz on Alleluia (2014), Adoration (2019) and Inexorable (2021).^[15][16][17]

The film music was composed by Vincent Cahay, a longtime collaborator of Du Welz who worked on Calvaire (2004), Alleluia (2014), Adoration (2019), Inexorable (2021), and was awarded the Magritte Award for Best Original Score for his contributions to Adoration.^[18][19]

Maldoror was selected to be screened out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival,^[20] where it will have its world premiere on 3 September 2024.^[1] It is Du Welz's first film selected in the Venice lineup since Vinyan (2008).^[21]

• Maldoror at IMDb