The House That Jack Built

How this went under my radar for so long I don't know, but worth the wait.

First and foremost, this movie is _fucked_. You will see things that are disturbing, not_necessarily_ gory, but disturbing nonetheless. Seriously, you've been warned.

That aside, this was a ride, one that had me tensing my legs and clenching my jaw until the inverted credits started to roll (hey, just figured out why they're inverted now that I'm typing this). Dillon is superb, in both his acting and more so his narration. Supporting cast also great, but Dillon really carries this one. His stoic and monotone demeanor are terrifying once you see what he's capable of.

Fast paced and fluid, _The House That Jack Built_ has a lot of re-watch value. The cuts to archival footage are long enough to be interesting and short enough to not be tedious, giving you a brief reprieve (at times) from the last "incident" you viewed.

Gotta give it to Lars on the music score ha ha ha!

A loved it so much. So funny and sick. The end was so interesting.

This is fucked up and I kinda loved it. It is surprisingly funny in a I'm a terrible human being way. Matt Dillon is great.

“You want me to show you to the next whisky bar?”

After giving it some thought, I’m still lost and filled with thoughts.

How do I talk about the most polarizing movie of 2018. The movie that caused such a uproar at Cannes with 100 people walking out, which I bet made Lars sip on his warm tea with delight. This kind of noise only boosted my excitement even more. Actually, I was anticipating it, but also feared it, because here’s the question: Will it live up to the hype?

Well...

‘The House That Jack Built’ is a horrible and cruel movie that examines the worst in humanity….but I kinda liked it. Ugly, yet strangely beautiful. The cinematography, editing, and the handheld camera work is all fantastic. Very hard to digest, yet very hard to forget.

Matt Dillon is absolutely terrific as the devilish artist with an eye for perfection. It’s a real shame he won’t be getting any award recognition, because it’s one of the best performance of his career. His black eyes and dead booming voice only names a few traits. An architect who destroys what he creates. Concrete, bricks and wood simply won’t do, but flesh and bone is considered. Still, a serial killer with OCD? Hit the road Jack!

Even the supporting cast, despite they minuscule screen time, still gave stellar performances. The screens between Bruno Ganz and Matt Dillon are the most fascinating aspects of the film. Ganz being the audience member, listening and debating with Jack.

Now Lars Von Trier isn’t a stranger when it comes to controversy. Right from the beginning, I could tell he made this movie for himself. A narcissistic and prejudice statement on art and icons. Basically the main character is a metaphor of him, hence why I would consider this his most personal work and perhaps his last. A genius director with a bad sense of humor.

The portrayal of violence is absolutely brutal and definitely not for the faint of heart. What’s even worse is you feel every kill - it’s that’s effective. I actually gasp at one scene. None of it came off as edgy or anything like that. Although grizzly and bitter, yet strangely comedic - something you wouldn’t expect coming from a movie that caused many walkouts.

There’s plenty of symbolism and discussion on different topics that defines Jack; especially Nazi’s. Probably the most talked about scene involves a mother and her two children, if you know what I mean. The scene itself reflects the crazy Nazi army who threw baby’s in the air, and shoot them like target practice. Another scene where Jack kidnaps and ties up a group of men ready to execute them with one full metal jacket bullet - similar to a experimental technique used by Nazi's. I find it suspicious Von Trier has such knowledge on the Nazi army after the infamous ban at Cannes.

For issues: The movie can get a bit arty-farty and halfway through shifts focus on two characters narrating about anything. While those conversations serve as interesting little trivia, but felt like filler.

Putting aside my critiques, I would like to address my deepest concern for Von Trier's mental state. He looks incredibly unwell and without a glimpse of happiness. He’s always been very open about his health and expressed it through his art. I can imagine him sitting alone with flakes of grey in his beard, contemplating the reality of the situation - nobody wants to help.

Oh Lars.

Dark, ambitious and unconfortable to watch at times, this is von Trier's best work since Dogville. A must watch for all fans of the controversial danish director.

[spoiler] "Some people claim that the atrocities we commit in our fiction are those inner desires which we cannot commit in our controlled civilization, so they're expressed instead through our art. I don't agree. I believe Heaven and Hell are one and the same. The soul belongs to Heaven and the body to Hell. - Jack." Or is it Lars? ;D [/spoiler]

Macabra, espeluznante, bizarra y humor negro. Lars Von Trier arruinó mi noche de sueño.

You've got to love dark comedies. I found it to be quite enjoyable [spoiler] I particularly enjoyed Lars' take on Dante's Inferno[/spoiler]. However, it is apparent that Lars used this movie to indulge himself, perhaps a little too much.

The film first shocks us with its controversial story about the murderer, only to then find and understand our guide von Trier/Virgil's approach to the story at the very end.

What a hilarious riot. Thoroughly enjoyed witnessing Jack’s growing pains. Only slight criticism was the abrupt end, but overall still a great ride.