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C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992)

Country of Origin: Belgium
Year of Production: 1992
Running Times: 92 mins (USA) 95 mins (France; Spain)
Length:
Format: 16mm
Colour Format: black and white
Ratio:
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Les Artistes Anonyme
Producer: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde

SCRIPT
Script: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde, Vincent Tavier

DIRECTION
Director: Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde
Assistant Director: Vincent Tavier

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: André Bonzel

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Rémy Belvaux, Eric Dardill

MUSIC
Music: Jean-Marc Chenut, Laurence Dufrene

LOCATIONS
Locations: Brussels, Belgium; Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium; Namur, Belgium

CAST
Benoît Poelvoorde (Ben)
Jacqueline Poelvoorde-Pappaert (Ben's mother)
Nelly Pappaert (Ben's grandmother)
Hector Pappaert (Ben's grandfather)
Jenny Drye (Jenny)
Malou Madou (Malou)
Willy Vandenbroeck (Boby)
Rachel Deman (Mamie Tromblon)
André Laime (bed-ridden old man)
Edith Lemerdy (nurse)
Sylviane Godé (rape victim)
Zoltan Tobolik (rape victim's husband)
Valérie Parent (Valerie)
Alexandra Fandango (Kalifa)
Olivier Cotica (Benichou)
Rémy Belvaux (Remy)
André Bonzel (Andre)
Jean-Marc Chenut (Patrick)
Alain Oppezzi (Franco)
Vincent Tavier (Vincent)
Gina Cotica (mother)
Ricardo Cotica (child)
Pierre Vanbraekel (father)
Marcel Engels (cameraman)
Franco Piscopo (sound recordist)
Venelin Poikov (1st postman)
Alain François (video reporter)
Fernaud Dubois (postman)
Antoine Chapelot (wine waiter)
Hughes Tavier (buffet waiter)
Pol Vanderwarren (Ben's lawyer)
Paul Bottemanne (taxi driver)
Vincent Merveille (boxer)
Irene Gilissen (lady on train)
Sabine Tavier (Madame Pipi)
Annamaria Szomolanyiova (violinist)
Carlos Campo Miranda (night watchman)
Pascal Lebrun, Stephanie Aubier, Alain Hologne, Micheline Hologne, Philippe Blasband, Aldo Fostier, Jean-Pol Cavillot, Anny Nologne, Elaine Leonard, Marie Travier, Bruno Belvaux, Lucien Belvaux, Jean-Claude Maschetti, Gouyon David (uncredited) (featured victims)
Anne LaGrange, Laurence D'Hondt, Daniel Tursh, Benoît Mariage, Emmanuelle Bada, Stéphane Aubier (journalists)
Jean-Paul Geets (Malou's customer)
Clotilde Francois, Steven Artels, Bertrand Tavier, Bob Lens, Josephs Craeynest, Willy Van De Waele, Andre Kuys, Patrick Goisse (victims in montage)

PLOT SUMMARY

A camera crew is following serial killer Ben as he wanders around a city killing randomly, all the while treating them to extended treatises on the natures of music, society and art. As the crew get to know their subject better, they find themselves seduced by Ben's madness and start to join in his horrendous crimes...

CAPSULE REVIEW

An astonishing black comedy that manages to get laughs from some of the grimest subjects imaginable. Benoît Poelvoorde is outstanding as the pretentious serial killer Ben, whose seemingly random and unprovoked bursts of extreme violence are contrasted with his thoughtful pontifications on a number of subjects. The laughing tends to stop abruptly during the horrific rape scene, one of the nastiest ever filmed. The black-and-white, hand-held faux-documentary camerawork predates and predicts that used in The Blair Witch Project (1999).

AVAILABILITY

France
DVD Distributor: Polygram (087 840-2)

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: Oro Films S.A.

UK
Laserdisc Distributor: Tartan (TVL 1074 - includes the short film Pas 4 pour Daniel)

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Roxie Releasing
Laserdisc Distributor: Criterion (CC 1376L)
DVD Distributor: Tartan Video (TVD3308 - includes: the short film Pas de C4 Pour Daniel Daniel; stills gallery; review)

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: R

Finland
Rating: K-18

Germany
Rating: 18

Netherlands
Rating: 16

New Zealand
Rating: R18

Norway
Rating: 18

Spain
Rating: 18

Sweden
Rating: banned

UK
Rating: 18

USA
Rating: NC-17

AWARDS

1992
Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain

Best Actor (Benoît Poelvoorde) - winner
Best Film (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde) - winner

Toronto International Film Festival
Metro Media Award (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde) - winner

1993
French Syndicate of Cinema Critics

Best Foreign Film (Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde - tied with Qiu Ju da guan si (1992)) - winner

TIMELINE

1992
September

12: Canada - shown at the Toronto Film Festival

November
4: France - theatrical release

December
30: Spain - theatrical release

1993
February

11: Netherlands - theatrical release

March
25: Germany - theatrical release

May
27: Australia - theatrical release

July
19: UK - laserdisc release (Tartan (TVL 1074))

October
8: Finland - theatrical release

1994
June

10: Portugal - theatrical release

1996
June

Day Unknown: UK - laserdisc release (Tartan (TVL 1074))

2000
October

9: USA - DVD release (Tartan Video (TVD3308))

2001
October

7: UK - television broadcast (on FilmFour)

POSTER TAGS

A Killer Comedy

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Man Bites Dog - English language title

LINKS

SEE ALSO
The Blair Witch Project (1999)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Sight and Sound January 1993
credits, review

BOOKS

Killing For Culture pp.93-96, 335
review, credits

The BFI Companion to Crime pp.75-76
review

KEYWORDS

fake documentary, serial killers, flutes, microphones, racism, rape, child murder, children, satire


Last Updated: 1 January, 2009

 


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