C'est arrivé près de chez vous (1992)

Directors:

Rémy Belvaux
André Bonzel

Writers:

Rémy Belvaux (story)
Rémy Belvaux (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A Killer Comedy

Plot:

A camera crew follows a serial killer/thief around as he exercises his craft. He expounds on art, music...

Plot Keywords:

Controversy | Shootout | Sound Man | Eccentric | Bare Breasts

Awards:

6 wins & 4 nominations

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
Édith Le Merdy	...	Nurse
Sylviane Godé	...	Rape Victim (Martine)
Zoltan Tobolik	...	Rape Victim's Husband
Valérie Parent	...	Valerie
Alexandra Fandango	...	Kalifa
Olivier Cotica	...	Benichou

Also Known As:

Man Bites Dog (UK) (USA)
It Happened in Your Neighborhood (Belgium: English title)
Man Bites Dog: It Happened in Your Neighborhood (International: English title) (informal title)
Anthropos dagonei skylo (Greece) [el]
Czlowiek pogryzl psa (Poland) [pl]
Il Cameraman e l'assassino (Italy) [it]
Man Bites Dog - ammatti: tappaja (Finland) [fi]
Mann beißt Hund (Germany) [de]
Manual de Instruções para Crimes Banais (Portugal) [pt]
Ocurrió cerca de su casa (Spain) [es]
Sucedió cerca de su casa (Argentina) [es]
Zgodilo se je cisto blizu vas (Slovenia) [sl]

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for strong graphic violence.

Runtime:

95 min | USA:92 min (edited version)

Country:

Belgium

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1993) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1997) | USA:NC-17 (appeal) | Iceland:16 | Australia:R | Argentina:18 | Singapore:R21 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (Original rating) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Ireland:(Banned) (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:(Banned) | UK:18 | USA:Unrated (cut)

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Company:

Les Artistes Anonymes

Trivia:

The filmmakers were very nervous while shooting the rape scene. The actress who played the rape victim was very supportive of cause of the film, however, and let the filmmakers do their thing. This gave comfort to the crew; especially Rémy Belvaux, who was very shy about his nude scene.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Ben and Valerie play a duet together, he informs her to play in 4/4 time when the song they play is actually in 3/4 time.

Quotes:

Ben: Did you make caca?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

A vivid example of good cinema

That's the one I was looking for...

Beautifully shot in black and white, this piece of art about a killer followed by a film crew is technically incredible.Camera movements or sound effects are among the most innovative I have ever seen. Besides, the dialogues are so funny...

We watch a lot of people being shot and this might shock a lot of people, but if the viewers bear in mind the real purpose of this "massacre" (to denounce the violence rather than glorify it), this movie is really funny.

I surprised myself talking with a Belgium accent and learning by heart the dialogues in order to make people laugh. It lasted 3 years...

This is definitely a masterpiece that I would not recommend to everybody, especially because of its visual violence, but filmgoers who would like to see something different should definitely check this one.