This extremely controversial “mockmentary” and brutal satire of media violence and filmmaking won the International Critics’ Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and takes you on a very eye-opening venture that you most likely will never forget.
The story follows documentary filmmakers Andre and Remy as they follow Ben, a serial-killer by trade. The duo of filmmakers film Ben as he goes about his usual work day as he describes trade tips such as how to keep bodies at the bottom of the ocean from floating to the top and notifying police to how to perfectly execute certain type of people in situations. This results in times of darkly humorous laughter as well as disgusted and disturbed glances from the audience.
The film is sure to divide audiences due to it’s outrageous explicit content, but to those who look past the violence will discover a brilliant satire on media violence which addresses the fad of “reality TV” today. Man Bites Dog was clearly a film far ahead of it’s time and still shocks viewers with its unflinching imagery. Man Bites Dog could possibly be one of the finest Belgian movies ever made as well as one of the most thought-provoking European movies of the 1990s. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film were studied in film schools.

Nate recommends these films if you enjoyed Man Bites Dog:

Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap (1984) (This movie is hilarious I have seen it a number of times.)

Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’s The Blair Witch Project (1999) (If you haven’t seen this legendary horror film, you really are missing out on a real gem.)

John McNaughton’s Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990) (This is only if you enjoyed the gruesome violence and disturbing nature in Man Bites Dog)

Also check out all of Quentin Tarantino’s films for an almost similar experience.