The Treatment (2014) User Reviews (45)

Distressing movie with a top notch performance by the lead actor and suspense n tension throughout.

[Fella_shibby · 8/10 · 27 April 2021]

I first saw this in 2015 on a dvd. I am writing a review now without revisiting it.

The movie is very very distressing n doesn't require a second viewing.

I hate movies which depict violence towards kids and i can't even stand horror movies where they show onscreen kiddies' death scenes.

The only reason i am generous with the ratings cos it is a very well made film, specially the police investigation n its aided by a top notch acting by the lead actor.

The lead guy is so emotionally exposed on screen that we audiences also feel his turmoil.

The flashback story is poignant with a harrowing n ambiguous ending while the main story is very dark n distressing.

The only time i felt good n did phew was the scene where the lead cop keeps punching the pervert's face.

This movie will remind 8 mm, Prisoners, Bereavement.

Captivating, edge-of-your-seat thriller

[spaceman88 · 8/10 · 5 July 2014]

"The Treatment" is very dark Belgian thriller, wonderfully directed, never boring, with great music and a brilliant damaged main character.

In the wrong hands, the movie could have turned out a big cliché, but narrative is so well done, that it pretty much keeps you guessing how it ends.

It's not a movie for the squeamish due to several scenes of abuse. Even the implied, off-screen brutality might not be for everyone.

I was very surprise of the high production quality. Until now, "Bullhead" was for me a Belgian film that set high standards in the dark crime genre, but "The Treatment" is a far more balanced and gritty movie.

If you like the "Prisoners", "Se7en", "True Detective" or "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", be sure not to miss this!

Horribly dark and incredibly well done

[artnude · 7/10 · 16 June 2014]

One of the best and most intense movies I have seen in a long time.

Martyrs (2008) comes to mind but this is much less gory and more psychological but probably as many twists and turns. Funny Games (1997) and its excellent remake also come to mind. The story develops gracefully, which is an odd word to use for a movie like this but I think the writing, the acting and the pace developed a flow that kept me along for the ride the entire time. It kept me guessing and thinking and I love movies that can do that for me. It is very disturbing subject matter so be warned. Not everyone will like this or even be able to watch it. It is not "literally" graphic but it is very emotionally graphic. I would like to only recommend this movie to those who enjoy dark films but this is such a well made movie I feel it deserves a larger audience. Just great cinema if you can challenge yourself to get past the subject matter. Strap in and go along for the ride. For me, it was one of those movies that I literally said "WOW" when the credits rolled.

A extremely dark, violent, and compelling thriller that emotionally grips you! [+70%]

[arungeorge13 · 7/10 · 10 September 2020]

A difficult film to sit through due to the subject matter it handles pedophilia, incest, assault, and murder, the Treatment is as hard-hitting as it can get. It's best visualized as four episodes with intertwining characters and storylines - a) Inspector Cafmeyer's personal tragedy where his brother supposedly gets abducted by a next-door-pedophile, the fact that he's not been found, and how it haunts him 25 years later. b) The horrific Simons family incident where someone tortures them for days, abducts the couple's young boy and leaves him bitten & murdered in a park. c) A repeat of the earlier mentioned event for another family in the neighborhood. d) The big reveal & the finale.

Geert Van Rampelberg is stupendous as the emotionally broken but smart investigator Cafmeyer, who has to hold himself together as cases echoing his brother's disappearance start to pile up. The unraveling of clues is where The Treatment solidly delivers, some having connections to past events and some requiring a forensic elucidation. While I expected this film to go the typical serial-killer route, it both held my attention and made me fleetingly look away as the case(s) started delving deeper into an underground pedophile ring.

The Treatment is the kind of film where bodily fluids (of its helpless victims) can be sensed from afar. The graphic nature of the film lies rooted in its emotional weights, not the blood-letting. The tension is sustained well, and in fact, lingers in your mind long after the credits start to roll.

Very dark and expertly handled Belgian mystery-thriller

[Red-Barracuda · 9/10 · 1 March 2015]

The Treatment is a psychologically intense mystery-thriller directed by Hans Herbot. Unusually, it's a Belgian adaption of a British crime novel. Although it is from the Low Countries, it follows very much in the style of Scandinavian noir. It's a pretty uncompromisingly bleak, tense and very dark story that focuses on very troubling subject matter. A police detective is still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his brother who was suspected of being a victim of a local paedophile. He is thrust into the middle of a new case involving another child abuser whose modus operandi is house invasions of families with a mother, father and young boy. He inflicts particularly horrible perverted actions on his victims, the detective wonders seriously if both stories are linked in some way.

It's quite rare for a film, far less a thriller, to focus on the very unpleasant subject matter of child abuse and paedophiles. The Treatment, therefore, walks a very fine line between being explicit yet stopping short of being exploitative. It's a path that it navigates very successfully though, for this is certainly a disturbing movie that shows enough to make the viewer very uncomfortable, yet knows how to do this without going too far. The mystery itself is layered and deep and draws you in further and further. Things are slowly revealed in sometimes unexpected ways. It wouldn't be right to reveal too much about the plot here, as the best way to approach this one is with as little prior knowledge as possible. It's helped considerably by some very strong acting, in some roles that could not have been easy and would have required some real skill. It is not a film that is going to be for everyone though, as despite the careful treatment it is still very grim stuff on the whole. But for those who like dark thrillers and especially ones who appreciate the northern European variety, this is a keeper.

Emotional subject matter, "OK" film

[MovieSonic · 6/10 · 16 June 2014]

Some films get a "free pass" i.e. an IMDb rating of 7 or higher (which makes the film a must-watch) because of their subject matter. Any film which deals with difficult subject matter such as child abduction, molestation etc. will automatically pull at the heart strings so you can't really go wrong with them in terms of audience investment in the characters and the story.

Yes, this film is worth watching because you will of course be emotionally impacted (unless you have no feelings) but I've rated the film a 6 based on the merits of the production and writing etc. The film definitely has Hollywood's production quality and the main actors are charismatic if a little hollow.

My main gripe(s) with this film are: movie realism. It is an accepted fact that police officers ALWAYS go off the deep end and break ALL the rules to solve crimes and hell, normal people would too! If I were confronting a paedophile and trying to get information, they'd at least lose a few fingers before I would give up - what the hell is this guy doing? There are so many scenes where you're expecting the lead guy to do something above and beyond to get what he needs but he doesn't and it's so frustrating! and unbelievable! Not just in movie land but in the real world too! Frankly, this guy's police work and deduction skills are appalling (not the actor's fault of course). There was one particular word which connected things but it made no sense that ALL the kids would be using the same word... why?! Did the guy have this word tattooed on his forehead or something??

Too many times I had to go 'urgh, as if' at the screen and the ending was infuriating. ¡It's not exactly Fort Knox though is it!

So it's worth watching just because of the subject matter... except it's not is it? Because the subject matter is revolting.

Truth be told, up until things started to get ridiculous, I would have recommended watching this film but now that I've seen the whole thing, I'm not going to. I still give it a 6 for the production quality and the acting and the (unfortunately) emotional storyline but take the latter out and it's just a glossy Hollywood type film with a lot of flaws in the story telling.

6/10

Opening Pandora's Box

[Nodriesrespect · 9/10 · 21 December 2014]

British crime novelist Mo Hayder's series of Jack Caffery potboilers have been gaining quite a fan following since 2000's inaugural entry Birdman. Surely even the author herself could hardly have hoped for a better introduction to cinema audiences than this Belgian adaptation of its 2001 follow-up The Treatment. Chauvinism aside, a concept largely alien to the majority of the Belgian population let me assure you, this ranks as one of the most accomplished thrillers produced worldwide this year. Underrated director Hans Herbots, most frequently employed in TV but also responsible for one of the more exciting domestic big screen debuts with the English language adaptation of Anne Provoost's popular young adult novel FALLING in 2001, has style to burn but wisely never lets it get in the way of a complex and compelling plot, expertly bowdlerized by respected screenwriter Carl Joos who also adapted Jef Geeraert's classic lowlands noir The Alzheimer Affair for Erik Van Looy's well-received THE MEMORY OF A KILLER.

The Jack Caffery character has been "Flemicized" into Nick Cafmeyer (Geert Van Rampelberg in what should be a star-making performance), hands on police detective carrying the heavy emotional burden of having been a near witness in his early teens to the kidnapping of his kid brother Bjorn. Pointing the finger towards a suspected local pedophile, the creepy Ivan Plettinckx (a devastating turn by Johan van Assche from another Geeraerts adaptation, Jan Verheyen's solid DOSSIER K.), but lack of evidence prevents his conviction. In the twenty-odd years since, Plettinckx has tormented Nick with every conceivable scenario of what might have happened to his sibling, whose body was never located. So when a home-jacking goes tragically wrong and the couple's 9-year old son is abducted, things are about to get profoundly personal for Nick who suspects a link to what happened some two decades ago.

To reveal anything more would be a crying shame as the film (at least for the source novel's non-readers) pulls one shocking surprise after another out of its magician's high hat with nary a false note credibility-wise. True, the culprit's nominal motive for his heinous deeds did strike as a little far-fetched, going as far as raising an unintended smile, but bearing in mind that this emanates from an extremely twisted mindset to begin with quickly puts the narrative back on track. While the movie pulls no punches in detailing the detective's downward spiral, much more is (strongly) suggested rather than explicitly shown, which is a good thing as it involves several unspeakable acts committed on young children, at least one of which is bound to hit you like an 18-wheeler cruising down the highway. The beyond bleak ending cynically bars all exits from this "hell on earth".

A major plus for domestic audiences is that Herbots recruited most of his cast among the reliable but faintly generic second stringers from his TV heritage where more instantly recognizable faces (such as the ubiquitous Jan Decleir or Koen De Bouw) would have harmed the film's brand of stylized semi-documentary realism. Handsome Van Rampelberg has been building an intriguing body of work since the turn of the millennium and brings a febrile intensity to the troubled anti-hero faced with an unbearable judgment call when he has to choose between upholding the law or finally learning what happened to his brother. Although he definitely gets into hot water morally, the viewer will root for him every step of the way. Burly Dominique Van Malder, following an indelible bit part in Peter Monsaert's uneven OFFLINE, equally impresses as a severely socially handicapped neighbor who may unwittingly (?) hold the key to the whole mystery. A prime suspect, scrawny swim teacher Chris Gommaer is played to twitching perfection by Michael Vergauwen whose arrest ranks among the film's most heartbreaking moments, a magnificently composed image shot overhead, indicative of the director's effortless technical brilliance.

A very good Belgian thriller with some flaws

[javs1 · 7/10 · 10 June 2015]

This Belgian mystery thriller, follows the trend of the new wave of Scandinavian thriller noir. It tells us the story of a police detective who is haunted by the abduction of his younger brother years earlier when they were kids, while playing together near their house. To make things worse he is regularly taunted by a neighbour who happens to be his main suspect on his brother abduction. His brother was never found, making our main character an obsessive and hard to control individual. The film is impeccably directed, creating a grey picture that feels claustrophobic and terrifying at the same time.

All the actors are excellent and i would like to make special mention to Michael Vergauwen who plays his role with gusto but that's not to take anything away from the rest of the cast since all of them are really great and feel absolutely real. My problem with the film lies with the script. I love European thrillers because as opposed to the American ones they tend to be more about the substance and less about the cheap frills and i found that at some point The treatment decides to throw one too many twists into the plot and as a consequence the movie loses credibility and the whole project suffers for it which is really frustrating in a film this good. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SPOILERS XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When the swimming teacher tries to talk to the detective about the troll he is totally dismissed despite the fact the police had no real leads and troll seemed to be a recurrent theme in the investigation. when our protagonist meets the old woman following the clues found on the videos left by Plettincks he doesn't even try to search her house and leaves without as much as trying to fully question her. that strikes me as incredibly strange from someone who has been looking for some explanation to his brother disappearance for years and has now a tangible piece of evidence and a real suspect. He later submits the tapes which are his only hope to find out what really happened to his brother. when the police get the results from the tests on the semen found on the young boy's corpse they very happily completely forget about the bite marks which again don't seem to me like the logical actions of a methodical police department. And last but not least why in the name of God doesn't the detective request police back up when he goes to rescue the family at the end of the film. That is the kind of thing that American films do and the reason why they are not realistic in the slightest. All in all a good film that could have been even better.

Not for kids, not for teens and not even for many adult viewers...though it is a well made film.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 11 June 2014]

The Treatment (De Behandeling) is an exceptionally well done film. It has a very tense plot, is well directed and will keep you on the edge of your seats. So, technically speaking I have no real problems with this Belgian thriller. However, the subject matter is so distasteful and so disturbing you should think twice before going to see this police film.

Nick Cafmeyer (Geert Van Rampelberg) is a wounded and traumatized man. Many years ago, when he was quite young, he saw his brother abducted and the kid was never seen again. Not surprisingly, when Nick grew up he became a cop and investigated cases that sometimes reminded him of his brother—particularly cases involving pedophiles. Additionally, the man that the police think did it couldn't be jailed because they didn't have enough evidence—and the suspect would keep terrorizing Nick—showing up near his house even years later. The sick freak would not break the law in each case—just let Nick know that he was there.

A new case comes along that is very, very sick and disturbing. It also has a lot of common traits to Nick's brother's disappearance and Nick is intent on catching the guy once and for all, as he assumes it's the same man in both cases. However, in a twist, the guy who everyone assumed killed Nick's brother kills himself in a VERY vivid manner partway through the film and he is obviously NOT the guy doing the current sick crimes. What are these sick sex offenses involving children? Well, part of me thinks I should just tell you because I can guarantee when many learn the twist they WON'T want to see the film! Suffice to say, the case is much, much, much, MUCH sicker than any I've ever seen on the television show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"!

Because the crime is very, very disturbing and because so much of the film is ultra-violent and realistic, I am once again warning viewers. If you have been a victim of sexual or physical abuse, you really should consider watching ANYTHING else—as much of the film is like watching a pedophile at work—including tormenting his victims. I am not necessarily saying it's too graphic—but it is VERY graphic and very intense and might very likely elicit Post-Trauamatic Stress reactions in viewers, as it might remind them of their own victimization. I think I know what I am talking about here, as I used to be a psychotherapist who worked with victims of sexual abuse.

Now if you can stomach the film, it IS exceptionally well made. The film is incredibly creative and the twists come as HUGE surprises. Additionally, Nick's character is wonderful and Rampelberg's acting is exceptional—as he plays a walking wounded man who has so much pain and rage he needs to work out while STILL investigating horrific crimes. Overall, it's a very original and fascinating film but one that is frankly bound to be a painful viewing experience for many.

Fantastic but very disturbing thriller

[omendata · 7/10 · 23 September 2020]

Based on the British female thriller writer Mo Hayder's series of books this film makes a great attempt at realising the main character of the books and does not pull any punches with the subject matter.

This film is not for the squeamish; if you think Hannibal Lecter was sick then this one goes off the scale and I have not seen a movie with a more disturbing serial killer's modus operandi in a long time; it really is not for anyone with a faint heart!

Pacing is great, acting is superb from every cast member and I cannot recommend it highly enough - An impressive 7 hatchets out of 10!

The Treatment is an expertly crafted mind-bender of the sinister persuasion

[ArchonCinemaReviews · 8/10 · 17 June 2015]

The Treatment or originally "de Behandeling" is adapted from a serial novel by Mo Hayder with the help of screenwriter Carl Joos and beautifully directed by Hans Herbots.

The film opens with a flashback; two boys are walking alongside train track while a deep and melancholic voice reads letters aloud from a pedophile who claims to have kidnapped and killed one of the children. The letters are addressed to our main protagonist Nick Cafmeyer (Geert Van Rampelberg) and speak of his younger brother, now missing for 25 years.

In the present, Nick, a detective, faced with a case where a mother and father are found brutally tortured and their son is missing. Nick's determination to solve this case grows more and more personal as his pursuit of the truth borders on unhealthily obsessive. Could it be connected with his brother's unsolved kidnapping?

The Treatment is an expertly crafted mind-bender. The film seems to taunt and toy with the audience's anticipations and run it in circles to match our perplexity to Nick's confusion. The cinematography and score are very effective in shaping the mood and aiding in the psychological effect of this film. It's an intellectual piece and will definitely be enjoyed more by the audience who likes to think and not simply be guided by exposition. In fact, this film has very little exposition at all which is a precious attribute to have.

There are elements that were reminiscent of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, True Detective Season One, and Prisoners, perhaps most of all due to its brutally dark subject matter. Overall this picture is a very gritty and engaging story. You'll be trying to follow along, often times drawing the same conclusions as the characters only to be proved wrong time and time again. Much like as in life, The Treatment leaves doesn't simply hand us the answers.

The Treatment is a captivating and wholly original film adaptation of the most sinister persuasion. Evoking sentiments of unease and dread, it is unlike any American film and may be difficult for some to watch.

Please check out our website for full reviews of all the recent blockbusters, indie and other film releases!

watch out the pedophile network

[adhie_nugroho · 16 June 2014]

I went to watch this movie because the three reviews here praise the film so good ... first it's foreign language film and sometime the subtitle didn't help much for deliver the true translation ... but something about this movie, because I am more focus to the plot and the character rather than watching the subtitle, something that drew me deep and deeper till I forget it's just a fiction. It is really a masterpiece because it would tremble your feeling and let it hang by the end of the movie.

I praise the directing, the actors, and the screenwriter ... because they bring more on the table ... i didn't expect that this movie is good but it turned out really really good. Somehow the movie gave me creep to think that pedophile it's kind a network passed to another one and the next thing you know ... you're on the same roof with pedophilia ... gave me a goose bump, and I will never forget this kind of movie ... because the ending is hanging. I wonder what's happen with nick's brother ... that stressed me out.

I recommended to all of you who still not sure to watch this movie ... do watch ... and do experience what a really great movie is ... and don't forget to leave a review whatever your feel about the movie. because myself from skeptical turn to praise this movie.

bravoooo

Solid, well shot, thriller

[Finfrosk86 · 7/10 · 6 June 2015]

Here is yet another movie I saw at Frightfest Glasgow 2015. Seeing a movie at Frightfest makes your impression of the movie a bit different than if you just watch it at home. Frightfest is 5-6 movies in a day, and not every one of them are equally well shot and "expensive looking".

Which in turn makes it very pleasant when a well shot, "expensive looking" movie comes on. And "De Behandeling" is just that!

This movie looks like a Nordic crime thriller, which it almost is too. Except it's European, not Nordic. It looks like a million bucks, the acting is spotless, the drama is good, all in all well made. It almost, almost dips into boring territory, but barely keeps out of it. It's rather unpleasant at times, some people thought it went over the line, hah, weak stomachs, but I think it did good.

Some minor gripes I have, keep it from being really good, but I can't say any of that, because spoilers. So, if you want a crime drama thriller with some pretty disturbing imagery, that at times will keep you on the edge of your seat, here you go!

Welcome to the manipulation ride of your life! (spoilers)

[ynoel-2 · 1/10 · 23 June 2014]

The film is, to any standards, incredibly well made technically and superbly acted by all actors (which explains the one point I gave it). But, what on earth was the rest of it?! It is one of the most unabashedly manipulative and exploitative films I've seen in a long time, and that includes American ones. This police story is trying desperately to reach a higher level of intensity and emotion by the cheapest of the cheapest means possible; the exclusive of the medieval-style fear our modern 'big bad wolf', 'boogie man', or 'witch'. Understand: 'the pedophile'. Yes, that unknown sadist gazing (upside down and from a roof...: we are never really explained how this is possible) who prey on, then attack defenseless small children . (they tried in the film to make it a pedophile 'ring' but that failed). Then to take us on this manipulation ride, we are force-fed child mutilations, real- time raped child post-mortems, pornographic child rape photos, etc. ad nausea. This film reminds of those drivers who stop their cars to look at mangled bodies in a car wreck... The list of crassness' are in-exhaustive: the lone policemen with a deeply personal motive solving the case all by himself (with bare hands in the end), cryptic symbols 'inadvertently' left by baddies, car number plates visible on found videos, a fully detailed and beautifully designed scrap-book created by the criminal (who is completely insane and unable to even keep his hands together), we even have …maps, yes maps that lead the goodie to the hidden treasure cove of evidence! Since I'm here to save you from having to see this piece of idiocy, one more crassness: the Big Bad Wolf, on his way to (indirectly) rape a small boy, takes a lift… and ..in comes a tiny 6 year old, alone. And we are supposed to feel 'fear'? All we feel is the stupidity of it: so now little 6 year old's take the lift down to the cellars ...alone? The only missing crassness was …there was not catholic priest involved in this inexistent 'pedophile ring'. Where was he in this film? They must have cut his scenes out. The film takes the audience manipulation so far as to force us to believe the swimming teacher (gazing longingly at little boys bodies underwater) is a pedophile, then told he ...isn't one at all. Shameful cheap tricks, truly.

Some absurd moments? One minute the child victim at the end is screaming his head off as his father anal rapes him, then next second he is completely flaccid and lets himself taken quietly by B.B.W, without a sound, or a single movement. He is put down whilst B.B.W tries to kill the cop (with spit), and…just stays there! Literally waits for BBW to come back and take him away to ...(well, we don't really know to where, just somewhere). What?! The film gets so carried away by its blatant attempt to force-shock us, we are made to believe the child's fathers themselves were made to rape their sons... You mean to say that, half dead with fear, hunger and thirst, they manage to get an erection over their tiny son, penetrate them anally and get an orgasm enough to fill their cavities with their semen (and thus lead us to a false suspect again)?! What, what, what?!!! What are you on about?! What kind of sick joke is this grotesque film trying to sell? What kind of idiots does it take its viewers for? The entire film is carried by a detective-man who clearly belongs in an insane asylum, not as the head detective in charge of child crimes.

We have not changed one bit since the witch hunts, people still exploit these themes and make money from it...

Rather than exploit human fear and stupidity, why not, for once, make a film about the truly scary thing about this modern world? The real horror, the most atrocious suffering ever in our modern times. A film about the 95% of all crimes against kids, the highest number of killings, rapes, tortures, mental tortures, and abuses of all kinds, carried out by ...their own parents? Oh but no, that interests no one, not medieval enough. And whilst we keep these figures and truths silent, we pat these exploitive filmmakers on the back with gold-leafed awards, and talk how great and useful these films are that 'break the silence'. Go on, take the ride. You know you want to.

Overdramatic nonsense.

[ocosis · 25 February 2020]

What was up with the cop being angry in every frame of this movie? He slammed so many doors and screamed at his colleagues and everybody else so much he needed to be arrested himself. Why was he so ignorant when so many clues were around, and then completely ignored people who came forward with information? And that old trick that should have died with David Fincher's Seven, where every location was dark and flash lights were used, just to create a dark atmosphere. Doesn't anyone in Belgium pay their electricity bill?. And the constant dramatic music in every scene. All the characters were one dimensional. I could go on.

Dire.

Is this the new noir?

[Bantam · 7/10 · 3 January 2015]

Good flicks come in all shapes and sizes. This one is a take on the pedophile scandal (q.v. Marc Dutroux) in Belgium. The whole setting is, I guess, the new Noir.

So, let's see: we got a good lead actor, a very dark and somewhat twisted story of a cop investigating child abuse/molestation, who in turn has lost his brother to a child molester. With this case he pretty much has to re-live his youth. Scenes and settings look dirty, stale, run-down; the entire movie looks like a park in autumn, on a rainy day - thumbs up for that!

The movie lives and thrives on those bad (to ugly) moments. There is the scene where Nick is confronted by Ivan at Nick's birthday party. Good grief, that was a well-done and scary scene.

My personal moment of disgust was the one in the hospital when Nick questions Alex for the second time, after he talked to the PE teacher. When I realized what was going on, I knew this movie would not end on a happy-happy-joy-joy note.

Let's be clear about it, it does not show that much violence, or graphic detail (Euroflicks tend to do that, in contrast to American ones, where even the most brutal violence is somewhat glossy and, let's be honest, glorified), but the subtle undercurrent is gripping and disgusting at the same time. I guess it feeds into our human obsession to gawk at train-wrecks and other disasters.

The subject matter is difficult, but the presentation is really well done. And fortunately the movie does not judge, it leaves a lot to the viewer. Even the last scene is ambiguous. If you want good Euro-cinema, grab that one.

Wow!

[Ngal-188-118651 · 9/10 · 3 October 2014]

I haven't written many reviews on here. I feel like I want to shout out about this movie. It left me with goosebumps! First Flemish movie I've watched and certainly now wont be my last.

Amazing movie. Very well directed and acted. Really liked the main male character and you could feel his torment from what happened in his past.

Don't want to give anything away but this truly is a must see movie but not for the feint hearted. Certainly not your typical run of the mill Hollywood movie which makes a nice change. Dark and disturbing....one of those movies that leaves you thinking... what if...

Almost in the line of Scandinavian film noir

[BeneCumb · 7/10 · 9 July 2015]

I am a big admirer of modern Scandinavian and British crime films, but, from time to time, it is fresh and broadening to watch similar films from other countries. Belgian/Flemish ones are rather uncommon, but as I know Dutch and have been to Flanders as well, some joy of recognition and background information (e.g., national characteristics as well as topics that shocked the country) did help to follow De Behandeling from the "intimate" point of view.

The script was smooth, the thrill was there, but I was not much impressed by the protagonist, Geert Van Rampelberg as Nick Cafmeyer - both performance-wise and character-wise, there were too many references to other individualistic policemen. Moreover, it was a clear a bit too early who the wrongdoer was and what was all about, so some distractions were not convincing and provided no additional value to the film, yet prolonging it... But still, if you like tense feature films without lots of shootings and chases, then De Behandeling is worth watching, at least for comparison.

Dark and sophisticated Flemish crime thriller

[sorendanni · 9/10 · 29 January 2014]

"Detective Nick Cafmeyer has the looks, is smart and makes career within the Belgian Police. But there's a dark shadow over his life and relationships. Nick struggles since his 9th with the unsolved disappearance of his brother Bjorn, last seen when walking next to known pedophile Ivan Plettinckx. A new pedophile and homicide case of a 9 year old boy makes Nick suspect that there is a connection between the new offense and the old case of the disappearance of his brother. He takes the lead in a thrilling manhunt for an elusive pedophile."

The film may be a particularly touching, but also sophisticated crime thriller in line with other Belgian (or anyway Flemish) suspense like 'De zaak Alzheimer' (The Alzheimer Case), 'Loft' and 'De indringer'. Although the storyline of 'De behandeling' is layered and quite complicated, the director succeeds in holding the viewer's attention. The actors play their roles very realistic and with a lot of emotions. The atmosphere of the movie is dark and grimy with controversial subjects and although the content is never too explicit, it don't takes long to arose a sense of horror.

Horror is also to be found in the appearance of the villain. Nicknamed 'De Trol' (The Troll), the movie has a villain that can meet up with frightful Hollywood Villains like 'Se7en' 's John Doe. Overall, I can recommend 'De behandeling' to whom likes dark, almost horror-like crime thrillers. Just do not expect it to be an easy going popcorn movie.

thrilling throughout

[christopher-underwood · 7/10 · 30 March 2022]

I had never heard of the film but had originally read the book of Mo Hayder and am very impressed by director Hans Herbots as a Belgian. It is clearly not much of a budget and looks really more like a TV, which I understand that he is more involved in. Funnily enough I notice he was also the director of The Serpent (2021) which was a splendid BBC TV series. The Treatment is rather complicated and very well told although I have to say it is rather distasteful and disturbing also involving pedophiles. It is also rather long but very interesting and thrilling throughout.

Dark Dark Thriller

[Seanseventysix · 8/10 · 26 June 2014]

Bare with me as this is my first review.

This is a film of the British author Mo Hayder's book of the same title. Having read the book I was aware of the uneasy subject matter. It is a difficult watch and content is extremely dark. but that said overall the film was very good. For those who haven't read the book i feel will be in suspense and hooked throughout, right the way to the climax at the end.I was very impressed with the acting especially the lead, who carried off the angst ridden detective extremely well.

The production values were high. The direction of the film was in keeping with the story being told with its solemn photography and use of lighting. It is definitely not your average film and I am not sure it would appeal to the average cinema goer, but i would highly recommend it. Even more so if you haven't read the book.

My only gripe, and it is only small, is that certain things were left out from the book, which would of enhanced this film but I guess that is down to time/budget constraints.

Lastly I would like to commend the director for taking on this film, being a fan of the Mo Hayder series of books involving this detective I can only hope someone else will take one of the other books. I thought maybe it might get picked up as a series like wire in the blood.

A great thriller, but held back by irritating flaws

[mkquinn91 · 7/10 · 8 June 2020]

This has a lot of what I want in a serial killer movie: lots of investigating, time pressure, weird MO, and moody direction. It easily earns three and a half stars for very skillfully executing a solid creepy killer flick. It could have been a much better movie, but it was held back by some irritating flaws.

Unfortunately the lead character is an angry cop with a traumatic past that makes this crime personal. That is just such an exhausting stock character and it really made the film tedious to watch at times. The loose cannon cop's traumatic background also generates a subplot that doesn't always work well with the main story, and has a rather ridiculous (although audaciously bleak) conclusion.

The Treatment, which I gather was based on a book, also has elements so similar to those in Red Dragon/Manhunter that they're closer to rip-offs than homages. Both prominently involve biting, and also feature a killer that thinks he's transforming and evolving. Both this guy and the Tooth Fairy also have big murder books, filled with visual exposition about their delusions.

There was so much potential in the core, horrifying story that it's a shame it was held back by poor characterization, overstuffed background, and borderline plagiarism.

Dark indeed

[kosmasp · 9/10 · 23 December 2014]

I haven't read the novel this is based on (I've been told the novel is better, but it's tough for a movie to live up to the expectations, especially because this is based on all the twists the story takes and the guessing of who the bad guy is amongst other things), but the movie is really great.

The central performance is amazing and unlike other crime movies it is not that easy to guess where this is going (if you haven't read the book). The twists and turns the story take are absolutely marvelous. Though that might not be the right word for it, we do get a movie that feels real. And even when we are a step ahead of the detective, it's not as if he's a bad cop. There is so much going on, he can't know everything ... sometimes not knowing can be tough though ...

Poor treatment

[vespaman66 · 1/10 · 10 February 2017]

For my life, I cannot understand the good reviews of this awful film. How is it possible to see behind the unbelievable plot, really - getting erection enough to rape their own sons, while drugged, dehydrated for days, forced by a lunatic with a knife? Come on! Add the stupid police work - everyone running around alone, not taking notes or reporting in, just follow their own nose. Crime scene? No worries, just everyone poke around as they see fit! Weird psycho digging in garbage cans found by the police in the park where they are looking for a boy and a psycho - no worries, this cannot be the psycho we are looking for, since he's alone without any boy. The lead(?) investigator, half insane, bad tempered also runs around, does not listen to clues, does not do serious work at all. Why on earth did he randomly stop and "interviewed" the second victim? Which, by the way couldn't even try to pull the little pipe off the wall, but could carve through the floor, the thinnest floor in history arriving into a spotlight mounting which would have set the whole house on fire within hours.

No, this was a crap movie, it does not get much more stupid than this. The only thing I cannot fault, is the acting.

What a film! Searing!

[nabokov95 · 9/10 · 12 October 2014]

A policeman with a personal back story of child abuse / abduction attempts to track down a paedophile who has attacked a family. The start of the film is deliberately unclear and it starts at a slow pace but stick with it. Note everything. Add one detail or take one detail away and this film would be less than it is. The pace steadily picks up with the increasing frustration of the brilliantly played investigating officer as he attempts, through official and increasingly unofficial means, to prevent another attack. The mood of the film is dark. The story line meticulous. This film doesn't spoon feed you. You really have to concentrate and even then I guarantee it will throw you off balance more than once. The subject matter couldn't be darker or more disturbing but is never shown directly on screen. The crimes are shown through the consequences, and the corrosive effects on the victims and the investigators. The perpetrator is a truly chilling creation. Entertaining isn't really an appropriate word for this film but, if you bear with it until the story begins to unfold and you can bear with the subject matter, you'll stick with it to the end and it will stick with you for a long time afterwards. Watch this genuinely stunning Belgian film before America goes for the almost inevitable remake. I cannot imagine America producing anything approaching this level of bleak brilliance. Reminiscent: Silence of the Lambs, Seven. My rating 9/10.