Ben Mangelsohots

Jérémie and Bild, two riders, arrive in a community that lives along the river Fango. It was Mathilde who founded her, a woman who left husband and baby to flee urban society. All live in happiness away from the world, without thinking either of work or money. Bild believes he is the child abandoned by Mathilde, while Jeremiah is attracted to his daughter, Maurine. When Bild dies, Jeremiah learns that he is the son of Matilda and that consequently Maurine is his sister. He takes to flight ...

The documentary's legacy lies in its unapologetic fusion of agitprop and satire, a signature style of De Hert’s Fugitive Cinema collective. By juxtaposing Mandel’s economic theories with absurd military parades, the film exposes the contradictions of a society preparing for war while its social fabric decays. De Hert employs rapid montage, pop music, and street-level interviews to strip away the facade of state authority.Decades later, Le Filet Américain remains a vital historical document. It captures a specific era of Belgian polarization, marked by economic crises and the rise of the gendarmerie. The metaphor of the meat grinder endures as a powerful critique of how institutional systems compromise individual dignity for corporate profit.