Du Welz’s Maldoror

Frankly, Inspector Clouseau inspires more confidence than these Belgian cops. At least he always thought he was working with his colleagues to catch criminals, albeit in his own incompetent and delusional way. In the case of Marcel Dedieu (transparently based on the real-life Marc Dutroux), the cops spend more time fighting over bureaucratic turf and protecting sources than investigating the abduction of two little girls, Cecile and Elina. Disillusioned and disgusted, Gendarme Paul Chartier quickly turns into a loose cannon, who becomes a danger to the guilty, the enablers, and himself, in Fabrice Du Welz’s Maldoror, which releases Friday on VOD.

In the late 90’s, the Belgian justice ministry finally resolved to merge the three Belgian state police forces: the Gendarmerie, the National Police, and the Judicial Police. Ironically, this only intensified the rivalries between the three forces. During the investigation of the missing girls, the respective police forces barely talk to each other, despite their overlapping jurisdictions. Resentment starts to boil over in the Italian community, as Chartier knows only too well. His fiancée, Gina Ferrara hails from a large Sicilian family.

In a bitter twist of irony, Chartier’s Gendarmerie commander, Col. Hinkel launches an investigation into Dedieu, a convicted sex offender, dubbed Operation Maldoror, but insists on narrowing the focus to stolen goods. Consequently, Chartier is absolutely forbidden to look in Dedieu’s cellar, which supposedly does not exist in the first place.

Shockingly, Du Welz and co-screenwriter follow the documented facts of the Dutroux far more faithfully than viewers would like to believe. The most egregious derelictions of duty are all based in fact.

As a result, viewers easily understand Chartier’s outrage. Anthony Bajon does not look like a typical action movie hero. However, we quickly understand his unprepossessing physicality forced him to adopt a pugnaciousness that he has trouble dialing down. It is a twitchy, nervy, acutely tragic performance.

Likewise, Sergi Lopez (whom Francophiles might recognize from prestige pictures like Leaving) has never been scummier or scarier than he is here, portraying Dedieu. There is nothing to humanize or excuse him. Yet, he is always terrifyingly believable.

Du Welz’s Alleluia

As usual, no internet use goes unpunished in the movies. This time, Michel Bellmer will provide our object lesson. He is an adventurer who specializes in conning lonely women out of money. He also engages in strange occult rites, but he is nothing compared to the psychopathic women he unfortunately charms. Belgian extreme auteur Fabrice du Welz darkly riffs on the already pretty macabre case of the “Lonely Hearts Killers” throughout Alleluia (trailer here), which releases today on DVD, from Doppelganger Releasing.

Evidently, Bellmer’s pre-date photo burning ritual worked, because mousy Gloria falls for him hard. After an uncharacteristic one night stand, she is only too happy to loan him money for his supposedly struggling business. Of course, women like Gloria are Bellmer’s business—and he is already working on his next deal. However, Gloria is not ready to move on. She tracks him down, but instead of demanding her money back, she offers to be his accomplice, as long as they can periodically steal some intimate time together.

Gloria has one stipulation—no more sex with the marks. Although Bellmer agrees, he knows there is no better way to seal the deal than offering a little sugar. Unfortunately, whenever he tries to hurry things along, Gloria erupts in a lethal jealous fury. Frankly, she is the past the point of being bad for business, but Bellmer is stuck with her.

As if Alleluia was not creepy enough, lead actor Laurent Lucas was the victim of an internet death hoax a few months ago. Happily it was bogus, but this feels exactly like the sort of film that could become notorious for the curse-like deaths of its cast-members. Strictly speaking, it is an earthly serial killer film, but Manu Dacosse’s tripped out, massively feverish cinematography gives it all a supernatural looking haze. Du Welz and co-screenwriter Vincent Tavier are pretty vague on the geo-particulars, so for all we know, it could be in one of the outer circles of Hell. It certainly starts to feel that way for Bellmer.

The hopefully very alive and kicking Lucas is terrific as Bellmer, convincingly portraying his unique character development arc, from sociopathic ladies man to psychotically henpecked common law husband. However, Almodóvar regular Lola Dueñas is the black soul at the center of the film. She is profoundly unsettling as the deeply disturbed Gloria (and vice versa). It is also worth noting the fine work of Héléna Noguerra as the rebooted Lonely Hearts Killers’ third prospective victim, the well-to-do widowed mother, Solange. She brings real presence to what could have been a largely disposable role.

This should go without saying, but if the French lover you just met over the internet wants to move in with his unstable Spanish sister, you need to put your foot down and say no. Alleluia should surely will not do any favors for online dating services. Instead, it is an unusually impressive genre film, but it might actually be too effective, by not giving us any breathing space in between the psychotic episodes. Tense and disorienting, Alleluia is recommended for fans of art-house horror when it releases today (10/6) on DVD and BluRay.