He Who Eats Children

Ben Russell plunges into the depths of the Surinamese jungle to shoot a film portrait about M., the blue-eyed Dutchman who runs a motor-repair workshop there. M. has been living in the jungle for years and knows all the stories people tell about him: He is a maneater. Children pull on white masks and scare one another. Many are scared of him. “You are the monster now and you have to eat us!” A girl covers her eyes and Ben Russell follows her with his camera. Russell is always directly involved in the search. His work strategy and research are tangible for all those involved. This practice of directly conveying the search and discussions in the creative process leads to a sensuousness in the image, in the film, in which the access to the story, to the myths and conceptions is a mirror.