The Horror Show
The House that Jack Built
by Lars von Trier
Extreme, confrontational cinema. Controversial art. Serial Killers. Abnormal psychology. I've just listed some of my favorite subjects. I've also just listed a good mixture of what to expect when it comes to Lars von Trier's film The House that Jack Built. This is a film that I was obsessed with seeing when my brother Mike first told me about it. “Obsessed” is a strong word and, in this case, completely accurate. I had previously been familiar with the writer/director and the star and when I heard about the Sundance walkouts followed by a long, standing ovation from those brave enough to stick around, I knew it was a movie for me. The plot: awesome. The talent behind it: awesome. The trailer is fantastic and shows just enough to intrigue and show the wild ride the film is without giving away too much. I was already hooked.
The journey to see the film was just that: a journey. After the controversy became public knowledge it was only a matter of time until the MPAA, forever a thorn in the side of creative thinking, dug their nails in when it came to a US release. Thankfully, a decision was made (a decision that made said MPAA cry and whine incessantly immediately after finding out about it) to release the film for one day completely uncut. The film would be released in an R-Rated, edited form the following month, but this one day event was about showing the very version that made a storm at Sundance; Lars von Trier's true vision. I took to the web and secured tickets at an indie theater close enough to my house. Then there was a distribution mix up and the screening at that particular theater was called off. I instantly got tickets from a different location. By this time my fiancée, Lesley, was interested in checking the film out too and the two of us trekked to Hartford to experience the flick in all its controversial glory. After a brief recorded intro with Lars von Trier and Matt Dillion, the screen went dark and then the film began. Was it worth it all in the end? Was it worth getting my expectations up and going through all the work to get to see it? Absolutely yes.
The House that Jack Built is a complex film with a simple concept. Jack (Matt Dillon) is an architect and serial killer and the film is divided up by specific murders that he has committed. We the audience get to see these accounts unfold and watch Jack grow and mature as a serial killer and become the person he truly is. The movie starts off with a scene between Jack and a woman (Uma Thurman) who is stranded on the road. I won't give away the details, but I will say that right off the bat Lars von Trier's love for tension and uneasiness is on full display. Jack is a unique and unpredictable character and from the start I found myself completely unaware as to when or how he would strike.
Jack suffers from a lack of understanding in human emotion as well as obsessive compulsive disorder. This makes for some unique moments early on, showcasing how OCD can be especially troublesome to a killer; to a lone wolf in a messy field in which mistakes are especially unacceptable. Jack finds this issue melt away as he is progressing into the world of killing, his personality and behavior becoming more bold, advanced. The whole film culminates in a way that would be wrong to spoil, so I will simply say that in the end there is no mistaking this is a Lars von Trier film.
The first point of order is to commend the phenomenal performance of Matt Dillon. This is a role of a lifetime and I can't think of anyone else I would want to see take on the project. Dillon makes Jack into a fascinating, unique character. He isn't the typical suave killer. Jack's remorselessness is matched by his awkwardness at times, and his nasty spirit in others. Jack doesn't have a “type” of victim the way most serial killers do. He kills men, women, and children alike, the latter of which sparked much controversy surrounding the film. A character's face is scraped off, another has their throat stabbed, and we get to see what a high-powered hunting rifle can do to a family. This is just a small taste of the explosion that Jack releases on those around him throughout the entirety of the film. Still, the project never feels exploitative. I adore vile, take no prisoners exploitation films, so I don't say this to make it seem like such work would be a bad thing. But in the end, The House that Jack Built isn't so much an endurance test as much as a fascinating character study that isn't afraid to break taboo. It's clearly meant to be shocking, but there's more going on than that specific intention.
The film has a strong comedic edge to it, which continues throughout most of the film's running time. The project doesn't spoon-feed anything, including the humor, which adds to the fun and disturbing nature of the movie itself. Some moments are more riotously hilarious while others are more brooding and darker. Where you laugh is up to you and simply relies on how far you can relate to that element. This makes the film feel unsafe, which is something I appreciate immensely. Jack is the narrator, the tour guide for the audience, but is himself a lunatic with a very skewed mentality and so you are never quite sure where he is coming from or where he will land on a variety of situations and topics. Jack's narration is not directed at the audience, however, and is a conversation with Verge (Bruno Ganz), a mysterious figure whose true role doesn't come full circle until the end.
Despite the film's simple premise, there is clearly a lot of interpretation to be had when it comes right down to it. Lars von Trier has been open about the political themes in the film, even citing his disgust with Donald Trump, or the “Rat King” as Lars calls him, as an inspiration for the film itself. In the end, the film is openly a celebration of the idea that life is evil and soulless. That was the filmmaker's intention and he succeeds in spades. Sometimes evil prospers and sometimes people just love to revel in their own awfulness. This is how Jack is, almost fascinated by his own nature and actions. His narcissistic tendencies play with his cynical nature and that means bad news for his victims. They are his experiments, his playthings, objects with which to amuse himself. There are plenty more societal/philosophical subjects to be noticed in the film as well, but I'll let each viewer make their own minds up about what each scene may mean. These political and social elements are only an extra layer, however, and the film works magnificently in its own world. The subjects of Jack and his life have value in and of themselves and it's a blast to see it all play out.
I could summarize the film my own way, but my words will never be as good as how my fiancée put it after we saw the film. In praise of the film, she described the experience as being like “waking from a disturbingly comical nightmare and going straight into an LSD trip.” That sums it up quite perfectly. The entire film is organized chaos, rooted deeply in nastiness as well as plenty of laughs. As for the trippy direction it ends up going, I won't ruin it, but Lars von Trier fans will know to expect the unexpected and everyone else may find themselves taken aback a bit. The film balances a stark, grounded narrative but allows itself to veer off into artistic fantasy that I can only scratch the surface of explaining. In the end, The House that Jack Built is exactly what I wanted it to be. It's uncompromising, wonderfully done, and contains every bit of boldness and intensity that one would expect from the polarizing director. In short, I love this film and can't wait to add it to my collection. Already itching to see it again.
P.J. Griffin, HMS
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