![]() ![]() Jack views himself as an artist, specifically an architect, and his art is via terrorizing women for personal satisfaction. The central metaphor could not be any more transparent for any person familiar with von Trier's back catalogue of punishing feature films. I was expecting an unsettling experience given the nature of the subject and the reputation of the filmmaker, but what made the situation all the more oppressive and disquieting is how obvious and heavy-handed everything comes across. He's using the nature of the movie serial killer to essentially terrorize the audience and make them question what entertainment value they ever saw in these kinds of figures and stories, or von Trier's films at that. It's not that a serial killer film, whether it be a psychological examination or gnarly genre thrill ride, can be without artistic merit, but von Trier settles for empty provocations. Along the way, Jack talks about the frustrations of his boyhood and adulthood, living with OCD, and the implications of his life's legacy. Jack divides his murderous exploits into a series of five key incidents: Lady 1 (Uma Thurman) being picked up looking for car help Lady 2 (Siobhan Fallen Hogan) as a suspicious neighbor answering the door Lady 3 (Sofie Grabol) as a mother with kids who is taken hunting and then literally hunted Simple (Riley Keough), the one who tried to get away and finally the last scenario where Jack tried to kill multiple men with a single "full metal jacket" bullet. He's traveling through the afterlife with the help of Verge (Bruno Ganz), a supernatural guide and easy listener. Jack (Matt Dillon) narrates his life as an American serial killer in the 1970s and 80s. The House That Jack Built is distasteful by design but also heavy-handed, obvious, and vacuous to a fault. The man has obvious talent but is often his own worst enemy, given to self-destructive impulses and excessive cruelty meant to be daring and challenging but is mostly perfunctory. The synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about contentĪnd age-appropriateness for specific films can be found onĪs well as through general internet searches.I believe I'm ready to cast Lars von Trier in the same dustbin I've consigned Terrence Malick and Michael Heneke. ![]() ![]() Triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially Cast Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Riley Keough, Jeremy Davies.The goal is the ultimate artwork: A collection of all his killings manifested in a House that he builds.Īlong the way we experience Jack’s descriptions of his personal condition, problems and thoughts through a recurring conversation with the unknown Verge – a grotesque mixture of sophistry mixed with an almost childlike self-pity and in-depth explanations of, for Jack, dangerous and difficult maneuvers. Despite the fact that the final and inevitable police intervention is drawing ever near (which both provokes and puts pressure on Jack) he is – contrary to all logic – set on taking greater and greater chances. He views each murder as an artwork in itself, even though his dysfunction gives him problems in the outside world. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view. We follow the highly intelligent Jack (Matt Dillon) through 5 incidents and are introduced to the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |