(Review based on watching the whole of the first season.)
Like many Belgians I've got ancestors on both sides of the linguistic divide. So I would be remiss in not writing a small review about one of the more notable Walloon thriller series.
"Public Enemy" is based on the real-life Dutroux case. It is also based on the life history of one of Dutroux's accomplices, to wit his wife (later on, ex-wife), who was released from prison a couple of years ago. She was released into the care of a community of nuns, amidst general incomprehension and anger. In the series, a notorious male child killer - a very creepy and effective performance, by the way - is entrusted to the monks of an age-old abbey.
"Public Enemy" has the great good sense to suggest that such a development, while touted as a shining symbol of a progressive, civilized justice system, might be a societal curse rather than a societal blessing. The parents in the nearby village live in constant fear ; weirdos and perverts long to imitate the Master's deeds ; tourists flee in droves ; and plans for a conference and hotel centre need to be axed. Moreover, the released child killer needs to watched, supervised and protected 24/7, at a considerable cost to the taxpayer - and who's to say that the man won't pull off an escape ? Or even a new crime spree, under the very eye of the police ? It's not clear who benefits here, apart from the child killer plus a handful of die-hard ideologues wanting to make a point at the expense of their fellow citizens.
As you may have guessed by now, this is not the coziest or sunniest of series : the subject matter is violent and the tone is dark, menacing, ominous. The plot is clever and well-constructed, though not always completely credible. Sadly, there are times when one hears a screenwriter's brain ticking and clicking.
The final scenes are bone-chillingly creepy.
Being familiar with the areas filmed, I recognized much of the surroundings. (I hasten to add that the real-life inhabitants are both sane and hospitable - don't let the series scare you away from the Ardennes.) Well do I remember the holidays of my youth, with long walks through enchanting woodlands dotted with venerable little chapels... I was also happy to see that the hallowed traditions of boar-hunting, boar-rustling and boar-poaching were still going strong. Ah well - that's why God gave us refrigerators, so that we would have something to keep our illicit boar meat in...
People interested in another fictional take on the Dutroux case and its social aftermath, could take a look at "Stille Waters", an earlier Flemish counterpart. (Wrote a review there too.)
Like many Belgians I've got ancestors on both sides of the linguistic divide. So I would be remiss in not writing a small review about one of the more notable Walloon thriller series.
"Public Enemy" is based on the real-life Dutroux case. It is also based on the life history of one of Dutroux's accomplices, to wit his wife (later on, ex-wife), who was released from prison a couple of years ago. She was released into the care of a community of nuns, amidst general incomprehension and anger. In the series, a notorious male child killer - a very creepy and effective performance, by the way - is entrusted to the monks of an age-old abbey.
"Public Enemy" has the great good sense to suggest that such a development, while touted as a shining symbol of a progressive, civilized justice system, might be a societal curse rather than a societal blessing. The parents in the nearby village live in constant fear ; weirdos and perverts long to imitate the Master's deeds ; tourists flee in droves ; and plans for a conference and hotel centre need to be axed. Moreover, the released child killer needs to watched, supervised and protected 24/7, at a considerable cost to the taxpayer - and who's to say that the man won't pull off an escape ? Or even a new crime spree, under the very eye of the police ? It's not clear who benefits here, apart from the child killer plus a handful of die-hard ideologues wanting to make a point at the expense of their fellow citizens.
As you may have guessed by now, this is not the coziest or sunniest of series : the subject matter is violent and the tone is dark, menacing, ominous. The plot is clever and well-constructed, though not always completely credible. Sadly, there are times when one hears a screenwriter's brain ticking and clicking.
The final scenes are bone-chillingly creepy.
Being familiar with the areas filmed, I recognized much of the surroundings. (I hasten to add that the real-life inhabitants are both sane and hospitable - don't let the series scare you away from the Ardennes.) Well do I remember the holidays of my youth, with long walks through enchanting woodlands dotted with venerable little chapels... I was also happy to see that the hallowed traditions of boar-hunting, boar-rustling and boar-poaching were still going strong. Ah well - that's why God gave us refrigerators, so that we would have something to keep our illicit boar meat in...
People interested in another fictional take on the Dutroux case and its social aftermath, could take a look at "Stille Waters", an earlier Flemish counterpart. (Wrote a review there too.)