Cornelis van Doorn is the CEO of VD, a meat factory as well as a developer of contraceptives. Cornelis is the patriarch of the Van Doorn family: a decadent bunch of loose morals who only lust for money and power. When the man is thinking about retiring, he has to find the right heir to take over the family business.
An early example of ultra-realism, this movie contrasts the quiet, bucolic life in the outskirts of Paris with the harsh, gory conditions inside the nearby slaughterhouses. Describes the fate of the animals and that of the workers in graphic detail.
Small town living suits Box just fine. Blue collar, safe, simple. A passion for slaughter keeps him in line at the local abattoir where he has the chance to quench his thirst for blood. When Nathan, a young parolee arrives in town, Box is instructed to take him under his wing, and soon the two men bond over a bloody murder. Unable to resist the temptations of blood, the two form a friendship revolving around their sickness for power. A friendship which is bad news for everyone in town as they become lambs for the slaughter used solely as entertainment for the duo.
