Film
The House That Jack Built
- Director
- Lars Von Trier
- Certificate
- 18
- Running Time
- 153 mins
Isn’t it bloody marvellous that in a time when taking offence (often on behalf of others who may not actually be offended) has become a national sport and media organisations quake in fear of finding themselves at the centre of a Twitterstorm of fabricated outrage, Danish provocateur Lars Von Trier absolutely refuses to play ball?
Divided into five ‘incidents’, the blackly comic, gore-heavy The House That Jack Built has the eponymous serial killer (Matt Dillon) gloating over a selection of carefully orchestrated slayings that he views as works of art. Von Trier has said that his film is a celebration of “the idea that life is evil and soulless” and, as usual with his work, it has divided critics. “It’s designed to get under your skin, and does,” noted Variety, semi-approvingly. “Lars Von Trier serves up a smirking ordeal of gruesomeness,” sniffed The Guardian. Incidentally, if you’re concerned about the graphic scene of animal abuse, the film has received the PETA seal of approval for faking it and for drawing attention to the fact that many serial killers begin their careers with animal cruelty. Here’s their statement:
“Following numerous calls about a scene in Lars von Trier’s film The House That Jack Built in which a young child uses a pair of pliers to cut a duckling’s leg off, PETA has confirmed that the ‘leg’ was created using movie magic and silicone parts. While depictions of gratuitous violence like this may leave viewers sickened, it’s true that serial killers, like the character in the film, often get their start by first torturing animals, making the scene all the more realistic and disturbing. PETA is also happy to report that the images of tigers in the movie were from stock footage, yet again proving that there’s no need to use live wild animals in productions, thanks to the many humane alternatives being embraced by filmmakers today.”
Note that the Watershed and Everyman’s preview screening on December 12 is followed by a recorded Q&A with Lars Von Trier.
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
