The 1992 cult film Man Bites Dog recounts the antics of a serial killer from Namur. A scene from this Belgian mockumentary shows Benoît Poelvoorde (playing Ben) strolling through an estate of social housing blocks, delivering his theory on modern architecture. A lesson like no other.

It starts with Ben’s thoughts on the property developer responsible for the ongoing disfiguration of the Sablons neighbourhood in Brussels. Sitting on a bed next to a prostitute, in front of the film crew, he explains why his lady-friend has had to move. During his discussion with Jenny, shots of building sites with cranes and towers under construction appear on the screen, setting the scene for the great lesson in architecture that is to follow. And here it comes. Ben is strolling down a long, wide pavement at the heart of one of those vast estates typical of the suburbs of major cities. Full screen, he begins by describing the neighbourhood using the expert jargon of technocrats. “It’s all part of a district renewal plan that aims to bring old people out of isolation by mixing them with the working population.” He ends by denouncing the cruel lack of aesthetics in social housing. The camera pans slightly over Ben’s right shoulder, revealing a kind of wasteland with patches of snow around trees planted along the slope on the other side of the road. Our serial killer explains, “Well, they had the idea of putting Japanese cherries along the paths, like a kind of English seaside resort. What a brilliant idea! And do you think they did it? Do you think they did it???!! Yes, they did! It was a good start, but they stopped there!” With this comment begins the subtext.

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