Megalomaniac (2022)
Directed by: Karim Ouelhaj
Written by: Karim Ouelhaj
Starring: Benjamin Ramon, Eline Schumacher, Pierre Nisse, Raphaëlle Lubansu, Wim Willaert
MEGALOMANIAC (2022)
Written and Directed by Karim Ouelhaj
French Language with English Subtitles
Screened at Grimmfest 2022
In the opening five minutes, MEGALOMANIAC shows its capability of pure brutality as a woman’s brains are bashed in in front of our eyes. It’s terrible to see and I was unsure if I could stomach a relentless onslaught moving forwards. Fortunately, the violence only occurs now and then, but the movie isn’t shy at displaying it in various forms, including sexual violence, but when it’s physical brutality, it’s particularly vicious.
MEGALOMANIAC is a dramatic horror thriller based on the true story of the unsolved murders that occurred near the city of Mons in Belgium during 1996 to 1997. Rather than focus on the murder, the investigation or the public perception at the time, the film deals with the familial consequences of such heinous crimes.
Throughout the film, we see siblings Martha and Felix going about their daily lives, albeit following two very different career paths. Their adult lives shouldn’t surprise many after seeing the pair depicted in the opening surreal scenes involving their horrific excuse of a father. It is implied that their dad is the man responsible for murdering many lone women in 1997, who he cut up before leaving their body parts in bin bags scattered along the roadside in Belgium. His crimes earned him the nickname The Butcher of Mons by the media but he was never identified nor caught. Now, more than 20 years later, his work is continued by his son Felix. His daughter Martha, however, works as a cleaner at a local factory where she becomes the target of abuse by the male workers. With no-one to protect her at work, and with Felix adamant she must retain her job and keep her head down, probably so as not to bring attention to herself or her family might it expose his ‘work’, Martha is on her own. This loneliness brings its own challenges which manifest in many different ways, but that’s not to say Martha is squeaky clean either. She too has a dark side and, with a family like she has, it’s not hard to see why.
This film couldn’t be filled with more despicable characters if it tried and the ones it includes varies from bad to worse as we see the depths of society and the depravity it brings. The irony of Felix’s own displeasure of his sister being attacked at work, yet he himself is unleashing harm upon women, isn’t overlooked as the film.
Watching Martha take abuse at work and going in, day after day, week after week, to be confronted again and again with more and more physical and sexual abuse is depressing. When she has a bit of distasteful fun herself, involving human pets, it’s hard to retain any compassion for her but then surrounded by what she has endured throughout her life, can she really be blamed? As we see her sat talking to herself at a dinner table, it appears that she is mentally disturbed, and that can only spell trouble for her visiting social worker, if not from Martha, then from her sadistic brother.
MEGALOMANIAC seems to embrace being devoid of humanity with elements of the surreal but unfortunately the film just drags to its conclusion which exposes the futility of patriarchy. The film’s violence and brutality, with very little story development, leaves a bad taste so when the finale does come, it’s more with a sigh of relief that what we’ve endured has come to an end.
This isn’t a film that can be enjoyed nor does it entertain, but it will surely serve as a comment piece on the influence family has on a person’s life and the struggle the dominated have against those who wish to exert power over them.
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