‘Monique Olivier: Accessory to Evil’ Netflix Series Review - The Story of Complicit

Monique Olivier: Accessory to Evil (Monique Olivier: Ondskans hantlangare) is a limited documentary series that centers around french serial killer Michel fourniret's wife and accomplice, Monique Olivier. It is directed by Christophe Astruc and Michelle Fines. It unravels the gruesome and gut-wrenching murders committed by Michel Fourniret and his wife Monque Olivier in great detail. It has 5 episodes with around 40-minute runtime for each episode. 

Firstly I want to warn the viewers that this series isn't for the faint of heart. It is a True Crime documentary, and much like other documentaries in this genre, it is filled with graphic detail of repulsive and horrendous acts. It deals with assault, rape, and murder among other crimes that The Ogres of the Ardennes (Michel and Monique) were involved in. That being said, if you're someone who studies true crime stories and has an interest in being informed about such cases, you would find this documentary series to be one of great quality with a good pace. 

The thing that this documentary series does differently is that, instead of it being a piece about just Michel Fourniret, this vile disgusting perverted man who murdered over 10 victims from 1987 to 2001, it focuses majorly on Monique Olivier. The show discusses the question of whether she was just a pawn or a participant and an accomplice to his violent inhumane crimes. As the series continues through each episode we discover more and more detail about the Fourniret family that clears the truth. 

It is truly a spine-chilling series. On the surface, it sounds like a vile man that just coldly murdered. However, as we dig deeper with the footage, the testimonies, and the records, it becomes more and more clear that this isn't about an average serial killer. It is about the person who enabled him to commit the acts that he committed. Monique. From their first interactions, as they wrote to each other during his time in prison, it becomes evident that these people were not humane. Monique, who initially during Michel's arrest pleaded as just being a victim, confesses to how she accompanied Michel and helped him in doing what he did proving that she wasn't just an enabler but an actual criminal. The details about the satanic angle and other weird obsessions are indigestible. It is difficult to watch as the stories discuss the victims and their families perspectives while the victims were missing. Whether it was the case of 17-year-old Isabelle Laville or Elisabeth Brichet, the stories are truly harrowing and make you feel disgusted as to how people can commit such inhumane and bizarre things. 

Coming to the more technical side of things the docu-series is very well shot. It takes us across various regions of France and Belgium where the gruesome acts took place. It paints a picture with great detail with good animation and infographics. The sound design is crisp and well done along with the way the testimonies are framed and put together. The documentary doesn't glorify these animal-like creatures but instead educates the viewer by showing how deeply horrific people can be. At the end of the day, I recommend this documentary series just to give perspective on how deeply vile and inhumane people can be (if they can be called that at all). 

Final Score – [8/10]
Reviewed by - Aayush Chaurasia
Follow @AayushC44 on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times