The movie Maldoror (2025) begins in 1995 in the run-down Belgian town of Charleroi. The opening scenes show two young girls who have vanished, setting the grim tone. Paul Chartier, a fresh-faced and impulsive young police recruit, is introduced preparing to marry his sweetheart, Gina. His life is about to change when he is assigned to a secret police unit called "Maldoror," tasked with monitoring Marcel Dedieu, a dangerous sex offender and the chief suspect in the girls' disappearance.

The film then follows Chartier as he joins this covert operation. Early scenes depict the surveillance of Dedieu, showing the tense and methodical police work involved. Chartier proves to be a dogged detective, uncovering evidence that strongly implicates Dedieu in the crimes. However, the operation is plagued by internal failures: negligence, corruption, and bureaucratic obstacles within the police and legal system. These scenes show meetings and exchanges between officers and officials that reveal the dysfunction and moral decay of the institutions meant to protect the public.

As the case collapses due to these systemic failures, Chartier becomes increasingly frustrated and erratic. The film shows his growing obsession with the case, which begins to consume his personal life. Scenes depict his strained relationship with Gina, highlighting the emotional toll his fixation takes on their marriage and his newborn child. Despite warnings and orders to stand down, Chartier embarks on a solitary hunt to bring down the perpetrators himself.

The narrative follows Chartier’s descent into vigilantism. He pursues leads independently, often operating outside legal boundaries. The film portrays his relentless pursuit through dark, gritty urban environments, emphasizing the bleakness of the social and judicial fabric around him. Chartier confronts various characters connected to the case, including corrupt officials and those complicit in the cover-up.

In the climax, Chartier confronts Dedieu directly. The scenes are tense and charged, showing the culmination of Chartier’s obsession and the dangerous consequences of his actions. The film does not shy away from the brutal realities of the case and the moral ambiguities involved.

The ending shows the aftermath of Chartier’s crusade. While he manages to expose some of the truth and bring certain culprits to justice, the film makes clear that the damage to Chartier’s life is profound. His marriage is fractured, and his idealism is shattered. The final scenes leave Chartier as a changed man, marked by the case’s toll but still driven by a need for justice.

Throughout the film, the main characters’ fates are visible: Paul Chartier survives but is deeply scarred; Gina remains a figure of personal loss; Marcel Dedieu is exposed as guilty but the full extent of justice is ambiguous due to systemic corruption.

This detailed, scene-by-scene narrative follows the film’s linear progression from the initial disappearances through the covert operation, the collapse of the case, Chartier’s vigilante pursuit, and the ultimate resolution of the story.

Paul Chartier's troubled past, including his father being a convicted criminal and his mother a sex worker who lost custody of him, gives him unique insight into the criminal world and local brothels, aiding his investigation. His background also influences his obsessive and impulsive nature as he pursues the case beyond official limits.

The secret unit 'Maldoror' is a covert three-man police team assigned to monitor Marcel Dedier, a dangerous sex offender suspected in the disappearance of two girls. The operation faces significant challenges including inter-departmental failures, negligence, and corruption, which ultimately cause the case to collapse and force Paul Chartier to take matters into his own hands.

Marcel Dedier, played by Sergi López, is the chief suspect in the disappearance of two girls and a notorious sex offender. He is portrayed as a nefarious and monstrous character whose actions drive the investigation. The film centers on the surveillance and pursuit of Dedier by the Maldoror unit and Paul Chartier's obsession with proving his guilt.

Paul Chartier marries Gina, whose parents run the Italian Catholic Mission, offering him a chance at a loving family life. However, his obsession with the case strains his personal life, as his relentless pursuit of the truth begins to consume him and affect his relationship with Gina and their newborn child.

Paul's obsession begins after interviewing a scrapper who claims to know a man boasting about kidnapping young girls. Despite skepticism from colleagues due to the scrapper's history of false reports, Paul pursues the lead. Frustrated by the failures of the police and legal system, including negligence and corruption, Paul becomes increasingly obsessed and ultimately takes vigilante action to catch the culprit.

The movie Maldoror (2025) is not family friendly and contains content that may be upsetting or inappropriate for children and sensitive viewers. It involves themes of child abduction, police investigations into sex offenders, and includes disturbing and intense material related to crime and trauma.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects include:

• Kidnapping and disappearance of young girls, which is central to the plot.
• Violence and psychological trauma, as the story follows a police recruit dealing with a dark and obsessive investigation.
• Disturbing characters and criminal behavior, including a recidivist sex offender and other "monstrous" individuals.
• Graphic and intense scenes that may evoke dread and discomfort, similar in tone to crime thrillers like Zodiac.
• The film is described as having a fast-moving, dark, and riveting narrative with mature themes.
• It is inspired by real-life tragic events (the Dutroux affair), adding to its serious and unsettling tone.

No explicit plot spoilers are revealed here, but the film’s subject matter and tone clearly indicate it is intended for mature audiences and not suitable for children or those sensitive to crime, violence, or disturbing psychological content.