The House That Jack Built

Name: The House That Jack Built
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Crime
Released: December 14, 2018
Duration: 152 min
Rating: 42
Cast: Bruno Ganz, David Bailie, Ed Speleers, Jack McKenzie, Jeremy Davies

2018

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Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 141 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 141 Ratings

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The House That Jack Built

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: December 14, 2018 | R

Starring: Bruno Ganz, David Bailie, Ed Speleers, Jack McKenzie, Jeremy Davies, Ji-tae Yu, Matt Dillon, Riley Keough, Siobhan Fallon, Sofie Gråbøl, Uma Thurman

Summary: Boundary-pushing cinematic visionary Lars von Trier returns with one of his most daring, masterfully provocative works yet. In five audacious episodes, failed architect and arch-sociopath Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts the elaborately orchestrated murders—each, as he views them, a towering work of art—that define his “career” as a serialBoundary-pushing cinematic visionary Lars von Trier returns with one of his most daring, masterfully provocative works yet. In five audacious episodes, failed architect and arch-sociopath Jack (Matt Dillon) recounts the elaborately orchestrated murders—each, as he views them, a towering work of art—that define his “career” as a serial killer. Mixing pitch black humor, transcendent surrealism, and renegade musings on everything from history to architecture to cinema, von Trier fashions a radical, blazingly personal inquiry into violence, art, and the twin acts of creation and destruction. [IFC Films]… Expand

Director: Lars von Trier

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 152 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Lorry Kikta

Feb 8, 2019

Some people, including a couple of people I watched the film with, may see The House That Jack Built as pretentious nonsense. Others will see it as the glorification of violence. I see it for what it was intended to be, a work of complicated, violent, hilarious art. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

May 16, 2018

The House That Jack Built is an often-horrifying, sadistic dive into a psychotic internal monologue, with intellectual detours about the nature of art in the world today, and puts considerable effort into stimulating discomfort at key moments. If you meet the work on those terms, or at least accept the challenge of wrestling with impeccable filmmaking that dances across moral barriers, it’s also possibly brilliant. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Dec 17, 2018

The film finds von Trier wrestling with the claims of misogyny and misanthropy that have followed him his entire career, but not in the way you’d expect. If anything, he leans into both, daring you to look into the abyss with him as he interrogates his own dark side and banishes himself to the underworld. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

May 16, 2018

It is an ordeal of gruesomeness and tiresomeness that was every bit as exasperating as I had feared. Read full review

Olly Richards

Dec 10, 2018

One of von Trier’s most confrontingly horrible films is also one of his weakest. A story about a man disguising his lack of worthwhile contribution with violent self-interest is guilty of every point it’s making. Read full review

Emily Yoshida

May 16, 2018

The film’s most offensive qualities have nothing to do with its grotesque violence and displays of human mutilation, but its terminal navel-gazing and reductive, borderline harmful ideas about art. Read full review

The Playlist Jessica Kiang

May 16, 2018

Perhaps The House That Jack Built is the kind of film you make when you fervently want someone to stop you, to save you from yourself and the demons of your worst nature. Perhaps, this time, we should oblige. Read full review

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User Reviews

seantarani

Feb 21, 2019

Just a sophisticated masterpiece
And I wanna say the most people who dislike this masterpiece are just simple (Idiot)

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

zNeverSleeping

Jul 1, 2020

Um filme peculiar, difícil e definitivamente um soco no estomago do publico.

Eu poderia facilmente dar uma nota negativa a esta obra, o problema é que eu estaria ignorando o real motivo pela qual ela existe. Claro, eu posso ter entendido errado, mas ao meu ver, esse filme cumpre bem oUm filme peculiar, difícil e definitivamente um soco no estomago do publico.

Eu poderia facilmente dar uma nota negativa a esta obra, o problema é que eu estaria ignorando o real motivo pela qual ela existe. Claro, eu posso ter entendido errado, mas ao meu ver, esse filme cumpre bem o proposito de mostrar o ponto de vista de um serial killer psicótico com diversos transtornos sem endeusar o mesmo. na verdade, esse personagem é repulsivo. Sua compreensão quanto a arte é completamente deturpada, e é muito interessante ver como uma interpretação pode ser subjetiva quando tiramos da jogada sentimentos humanos, como empatia. Partindo do pressuposto que arte é qualquer manifestação sobre algo, o protagonista não está errado na sua própria historia, o que por si só sustenta seu pensamento na baseline de foma completa.

As cenas dos assassinatos são muito bem escritas e dirigidas. O diretor tem uma direção autoral e sabe trabalhar muito com a face dos personagens envolvidos. Os momentos são agoniantes, principalmente quando o pior está para acontecer e sabemos disso. A fotografia também é criativa em alguns momentos, como na cena onde o jack está tentando convencer a mulher a deixá-lo entrar. O interessante é que o foco foi muito bem trabalhado, dai temos a sensação que ela abriu a porta por completo, quando na realidade ainda há uma cerca entre eles - outra porta, como é padrão nos Estados Unidos. O modus operandi retratado também é muito interessante. O protagonista não é um gênio, e muitas vezes se enrola nas próprias mentiras, porém por meio da observação e da seleção bem feita das suas vitimas, fica mais fácil obter a confiança. Por fim, não posso deixar de mencionar a atuação de Matt Dillon. Seu olhar, suas reações, seus momentos de raiva e sarcasmo sádico estão excelentes.

"The House That Jack Built" está longe de ser um entretenimento. Se está disposto a ver coisas que não quer, sem nenhum tipo de contentamento final, e analisar com uma via reflexiva e observativa - no sentido de entender como uma mente, por pior que seja, funciona; ou até mesmo um autorreflexão sobre si próprio. Bem, ai eu recomendo o filme, e nesse sentido é um masterpiece.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MrIslamic

Apr 14, 2021

A great movie. The story and meaning are way deeper than you might think. I was extremely surprised by how comedic, serious, and meaningful this movie was all at once.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Bertaut1

Apr 24, 2019

Self-indulgent, disturbing, and hilarious

Ostensibly a serial killer film, in reality, the latest from provocateur Lars von Trier is more an interrogation of his own psychology and an "up yours" to his detractors, daring you to be offended by the violence done to a duckling, theSelf-indulgent, disturbing, and hilarious

Ostensibly a serial killer film, in reality, the latest from provocateur Lars von Trier is more an interrogation of his own psychology and an "up yours" to his detractors, daring you to be offended by the violence done to a duckling, the cold-blooded murder of children, the verbal degradation of a woman, the celebration of Albert Speer, or the mockery of American gun culture. Although far too long and tending towards self-indulgence, House is nowhere near von Trier's best - films like Breaking the Waves (1996), Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003), and Melancholia (2011). However, love it or hate it, you will react to it.

The plot follows a serial-killer named Jack (an emotionless Matt Dillon) as he relates five of his most meaningful murders to the mysterious "Verge" (Bruno Ganz). A wannabe architect whose mother forced him to be an engineer, Jack, who suffers from OCD, contends that his murders are literal works of art, and has thus given himself the moniker "Mr Sophistication".

Originally developed as a TV miniseries by von Trier and Jenle Hallund, who has a "Story By" credit, the film premièred out of competition at Cannes 2018, where it was the first film in Cannes history to feature a warning on the tickets (for "scènes violentes"), and at the much-publicised première, over one-hundred people walked out, although those that stayed gave it a ten-minute standing ovation.

Although Jack is not a 1:1 surrogate for von Trier, it's hard to deny the analogy of how Jack feels the need to one-up himself with each murder, becoming more and more sadistic as he goes. This, of course, has become a common criticism of von Trier's recent filmography. He has also been accused of misogyny and of exploiting the psychological (and often physical) suffering of his actors, just as Jack is a misogynist who exploits the suffering of his victims. And this isn't subtext; von Trier himself makes the connection explicit when a discussion of genocide and tyranny features a montage of scenes from his own filmography.

As with Nymph()maniac, the film is structured around a conversation with frequent digressions. But instead of fly-fishing, parallel parking, and the Fibonacci sequence, we here see topics such as viticulture, the oak tree in Buchenwald, cathedral architecture, and the poetry of William Blake. One especially interesting digression is a monologue where Jack laments the fact that men are the defacto villains of every situation. Coming across like a slightly more unhinged Jordan Peterson, Jack has no time for debates concerning gender fluidity or sexual misconduct, even going so far as to suggest that women are more cooperative murder victims because they're "easier to work with."

Aside from the scene in which a duckling is tortured, by far the most disturbing scene involves Jacqueline (Riley Keough), whom Jack has been dating for a while. What's most distressing is not how Jack kills her, but what precedes her murder, as Jack mercilessly verbally belittles her, calling her "Simple", because he believes she is so unintelligent. He then takes great delight in revealing to her that he is Mr Sophistication, suggesting that she scream; the futility of which he demonstrates by shouting out an open window, "no one will help you." It's a devastating scene, far more emotionally upsetting than it is physically violent, and because of that, it's one of the best scenes in the film, provoking a genuine emotional response.

As unsettling as this scene is, the film can also be extremely funny, with the entire second murder playing out like an extended Key and Peele sketch featuring calamity on top of mishap, Jack's OCD firmly getting the best of him, and finally a fortuitous act of God!

However, things are far from perfect. For starters, it can be incredibly self-indulgent and is unnecessarily long. I'm also not sure a clip reel of von Trier's own films was the wisest choice. Additionally, the female characters, by the very nature of the narrative, are empty shells who exist only to be murdered. Some of the digressions concerning art and its relationship to love and hate are also (perhaps intentionally) intellectually vapid.

Whilst it could be argued that House is about a desensitised world indifferent to suffering, it seems to be more about Lars von Trier and the criticisms that have been levelled against him over the years. More an apologia than an apology, von Trier is attempting to use the depiction of violence so as to facilitate introspection, reflecting on the importance (or lack thereof) of morality and culpability in artistic creation. House is an especially self-reflexive and somewhat self-disdainful film, which Von Trier has intimated may be his last, and if that is so, it certainly makes for a fittingly provocative and confrontational final word.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

arteazuse

Aug 15, 2020

A wonderful movie with awful ending. If there was a clearer ending, this movie would be a masterpiece, but now only 6/10

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

The3AcademySins

Mar 6, 2019

The House that Jack Built is an interesting offer by Lars Von Trier. Provocative to say the least, this film provokes all morality and intellectuality you may have. Let me explain. The scenes with Matt Dillon doing serial killer stuff and viewing himself as an artist are some of the bestThe House that Jack Built is an interesting offer by Lars Von Trier. Provocative to say the least, this film provokes all morality and intellectuality you may have. Let me explain. The scenes with Matt Dillon doing serial killer stuff and viewing himself as an artist are some of the best scenes in the movie, and they are honestly incredible. On the other hand, the interludes with Verge discussing among all things, Lars Von Trier as an important 20th century figure, are some of the worst drivel I have ever had the misfortune of hearing. This movie is disgusting. It doesn't shy away from violence at all. However, I really appreciated that choice. Also, I have to mention that this movie is hilarious. Some of Matt Dillon's bit are hysterical. This is easily his strongest performance to date. If you like watching really messed up things and don't mind some heavy artistic ego stroking, you should probably give this a watch.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Zoomy148

Jul 10, 2019

Невероятно скучный и унылый фильм.
Сходили в кинотеатр вместе с девушкой на этот "шедевр".
Так сильно мы еще никогда не страдали на просмотре чего либо,невероятно растянутый хронометраж,ужасный сюжет,скука,уныние и вопрос :"зачем я сюда пришел?",это все что будет преследовать вас наНевероятно скучный и унылый фильм.
Сходили в кинотеатр вместе с девушкой на этот "шедевр".
Так сильно мы еще никогда не страдали на просмотре чего либо,невероятно растянутый хронометраж,ужасный сюжет,скука,уныние и вопрос :"зачем я сюда пришел?",это все что будет преследовать вас на протяжении всего фильма.Однозначно не рекомендую.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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