The House That Jack Built

I'm not a fan of von Trier to begin with. But this movie just got in to my mind really bad. Couldn't stop thinking about it. Was it good, was it bad, if I admit I liked it does that make me half insane? It's a movie that doesn't let go of it's viewers, even though they walk away. I had to pause several times, not because of its length but because the cruelty and sickening things and the anticipation of what was going to happen. But I always came back. I had to see what was coming.. Those ambivalent feelings stuck so hard.. Oh boy. Both disgusted and fascinated. I have to admit that I know feel like a horrible person for liking the movie. It was somewhat pretentious, but imo quite better done than Lynch.

Yes, you do think about LvT and what mindset he has to come up a movie like this. This movie just breaks all barriers. It is extreme. No wonder people walked out of the premiere. But it does have good actors, nice camera work, interesting scenery and a sensation of well done movie.

It's not a movie for a easily horrified audience. Perhaps it's best to watch it alone. And to say you didn't like it or maybe even that you never seen it.

This movie is certainly not for the faint hearted, it breaks almost all barriers, it's sick, twisted & disturbing, and I think only a certain type of person can enjoy this kind of movie. I don't think I'd come across Lars Von Trier before but now I'm curious about his other work. Whether or not this is a horror movie or more of a psychological serial killer movie, I'm not sure, but after watching it I was really impressed. I know this movie has affected a lot of people in a bad way but I really enjoyed it. I loved the suspense and how you were left knowing what was about to happen in certain scenes, but were made to wait and think about it. I don't want to give away any spoilers but if you're the kind of person who's constantly looking for a new horror movie high, then I highly recommend it.

You know that a Lars von Trier serial killer movie is unlikely to be like anyone else's serial killer movie; that it is most likely to be more gruesome and perhaps even with a streak of very black humour and "The House that Jack Built" certainly doesn't disappoint. What we might not have guessed was that it would take the form of a dialogue between our serial killer, Jack, (a never better Matt Dillon), and some Stygian boatman who is probably rowing him all the way to Hades, (Bruno Ganz. perfectly cast).

When it was shown at Cannes a number of critics walked out. Why? Could they really have been so sensitive or did they just want to punish von Trier for even showing up? Certainly no-one could deny that as serial killer movies go this one is highly original; you might even call it pretentious but then you'd be missing the joke or could that have been the reason for those walk-outs? Serial killers aren't supposed to be funny.

Using animation, paintings and newsreels to illustrate Jack's 'career' von Trier goes his own way as usual and the von Trier way is, as we know, both shocking and disturbing in ways other director's films simply aren't. If you want to see a 'thriller', forget it but if you want to get inside the head of one crazily inventive outsider, (von Trier, who else), then this is the one for you.

I just saw Lars Von Trier's new film 'The House That Jack Built' at the Atlantic Film Festival. I'm not extremely familiar with Trier's other work (I love Antichrist and Dancer in the dark is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen), but I've still been looking forward to this one since its premiere at Cannes. The subject matter peaked my interest and the trailer looked great. The early reviews got me even more invested as everyone was saying it was Trier's most disturbing and violent film yet.

'The House That Jack Built' was fairly brutal, yet oddly comical (if you can look past the disturbing material) and widely entertaining. I was not expecting it to be as funny as it was considering all of the 'hype' around the film's dark brutality since its screening at Cannes. Having said that there are some extremely gruesome and disturbing scenes which are effective in what they set out to do.

The film is divided into 5 sections plus an epilogue. A strange structure but ultimately I think that it benefited the film as we see a slight progression of Jack's character throughout. Though it can feel a bit repetitive at points, it never gets boring and is continuously engaging. Matt Dillon was excellent as the truly psychopathic serial killer Jack. It was honestly probably the best role I've seen him in (seriously, he should be in more movies).

There are many philosophical discussions about the nature of art throughout the film. This can either come off as super pretentious or can actually add to the film. I thought it worked fine in the context of the film as it relates very much to the character of Jack and how he views himself and his, so to say, 'art'

The film portrays the violence in a fairly realistic manner and does not hold back. At all. Seriously, the movie is not for the faint of heart. But it never came across as gratuitous or 'edgy'. It felt like Trier was just showing us what these scenarios would look like if a serial killer viewed his killings as art.

If you're a fan of Trier's work then definitely try and see this one. Even if you're just a fan of disturbing art-films, check it out. It has a screening at VIFF in October but other than that I have no idea where you can see it. Surprisingly, the Atlantic Film Festival (Halifax, Nova Scotia) had a one-night screening for the film. Either way, try and see it if it looks interesting to you. I highly recommend it. 9/10.

This movie was definitely a roller coaster. Some very intense scenes and some very slow ones. For the most part, I enjoyed the film. I will say it was different from your average horror flick. The camera work reminded me of something you'd see in a docudrama. Matt Dillon was great in this. Based on his performance alone you should give this film a shot. I've been reading a lot of criticism towards the director. I guess I'll have to watch some of his older work. 7 stars.