Man Bites Dog (1992)

9 TO 5, the ‘Uitkijk’ series for May and June, is all about rolling up your sleeves: work, whether fair or not, whether clean or not… 

Two novice filmmakers persuade serial killer Ben to agree to a documentary about his life and crimes. They follow the murderous narcissist closely. From a discussion about his favourite music in a café to the disposal of a body, the filmmakers watch and record. It soon becomes very difficult to maintain a journalistic ‘distance’ from Ben and his crimes.

Where do the moral boundaries of the fictional documentary-makers lie? MAN BITES DOG (1992) is an unforgiving satirical thriller about media ethics and violence. This Belgian mockumentary pulls no punches and became a controversial hit at the Cannes Film Festival.