MEGALOMANIAC ** Belgium 2022 Dir: Karim Ouelhaj. 100 mins
Ouelhaj takes us to Wallonia Brussels, where we meet Martha and Félix, the two children of the Butcher of Mons. We follow their unstable lives as they descend into dark chaos.
Thoroughly violent, Megalomaniac takes us on a bizarre fictional ride that is influenced by the real life Butcher of Mons who was terrorising Belgium back in the 90s. To this day, they haven’t been caught.
The cinematography was well done, for the most part, and combined with the gore, there are some images that will likely not be forgotten in a hurry. Sadly the camera sometimes became shaky for no apparent reason as it didn’t seem to add anything to the scene.
The script takes a little too long to create tension, which then drops suddenly. It would likely help to up the pace somewhat. The plot had high potential but a limited budget has clearly hindered this project. An increase in the lighting budget clearly couldn’t hurt.
I found the acting to be of a relatively good standard but the actors were likely hindered by the script.
Review by Poppy Blundell