MARKED MOVIES

Director: Lars von Trier.
Screenplay: Lars von Trier.
Starring: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Sofie Grabøl, Jeremy Davies, Jack McKenzie, Ed Speelers, David Bailie, Emil Tholstrup, Osy Ikhile.

“The old cathedrals often have sublime artworks hidden away in the darkest corners for only God to see. The same goes for murder”

Over the course of five years, Danish provocateur Lars von Trier delivered his “Trilogy of Depression” with AntiChrist in 2009, Melancholia in 2011 and the two-parter Nymphomaniac in 2013. Despite, an extensive career that has always quoted controversy, these three films alone managed to shock and upset viewers and critics alike with graphic scenes of genital mutilation, sadomasochism and full penetrative sex. Since then, von Trier has waited another five years to deliver The House That Jack Built and if you’re wondering if he has anything left to shock you with then wonder no more. Take a moment and a reminder that this film is about a serial-killer and remember that this is Lars von Trier we’re talking about here: the enfant terrible of contemporary cinema.

Plot: A mysterious stranger (Bruno Ganz) debates with failed architect Jack (Matt Dillon) about the murders he has committed. Jack believes his actions have artistic merit and recounts the significant moments over the span of 12 years that led to his development as a serial-killer and how death became an integral part of his existence.

It’ll just get this out the way from the offset and admit that The House That Jack Built is tough viewing. In fact, on many occasions it’s very tough. But, as previously mentioned, what more can be expected when it’s von Trier entering into the dark and depraved world of a psychopath who indiscriminately butchers people? I don’t take pleasure in material of this sort but I’ve always admired von Trier’s approach to filmmaking and whenever I enter into his films, I’m often prepared. That said, I also know von Trier well enough to know that he won’t simply resort to shock tactics without some form of discourse or rumination. He’s not a horror hack where victims are disposed of just to facilitate some deep rooted, psycho-sexual torture porn. Von Trier is too intelligent for that and it’s his ability to reference and explore different themes that make The House That Jack Built a film not easily ignored.

As the film opens, von Trier lays his intentions bare by arguing that there are far deeper reasons at work when it comes to how people respond to works of art or to other people’s behaviours. Our titular character (played with deadpan coldness by Matt Dillon) then goes on to explain to Bruno Ganz’s unnamed conversational partner and debater that each of his killings should be viewed by the work and not the act itself, thereby suggesting that there’s even an art in killing and maiming people. Some of Jack’s most significant killings are then broken down throughout the film in five separate “incidents” and it’s within these incidents that von Trier makes his case in point with a discourse on art, philosophy and violence by discussing the poetry of William Blake, superimposing a Picasso piece over the bludgeoned face of a victim and discussing the similarities of decomposing bodies and The Noble Rot – a process of fermenting grapes to make a fine dessert wine. Von Trier doesn’t stop there, however. Some may remember him being ejected from a press conference and declared “persona non grata” at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 for his Nazi sympathiser joke and here he makes a direct reference to Nazi concentration camps and an admiration for the German Stuka dive-bombers of WWII. And yet, this is the film where the Cannes jury invited him to return to the festival. It’s all very ironic and absurd and that seems to be the driving force behind von Trier’s intentions here. I couldn’t help but feel that The House That Jack Built is an elaborate joke on his own critics as he addresses each of the criticisms he’s received throughout his career. Whether the joke works or not will depend on your knowledge and understanding of von Trier’s filmography and supposed indiscretions. He’s often been criticised for his treatment of his female characters and in many senses Jack is actually von Trier’s alter ego, allowing him a catharsis and a chance to naval gaze and make self-referential statements on his own films (several of which appear in a brief commentary on art). He even goes as far to reference the recent #MeToo movement about the sexual harassment of women in the workplace and somehow manages to convince, prominent and outspoken campaigner, Uma Thurman to be involved in a telling opening incident. Modern America is then put under the microscope with another disturbing scene involving a mother and her two young children accompanying Jack on a family hunting trip. Each of them are forced to wear read caps that bring reminders of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan as Jack mercilessly makes them the prey in his hunting expedition. In his own words, Von Trier has described the current sociopolitical climate as his influence for the film: “… [it] celebrates the idea that life is evil and soulless, which is sadly proven by the recent rise of the Homo Trumpus – the rat king”.

Some incidents or themes are less subtle than others but there’s no denying the overall impact that von Trier achieves here. It’s a film that can’t simply be written off as gratuitous or exploitative when there are obvious undercurrents and topics to discuss. Each of the murderous incidents have something to say but what’s most impactful is von Trier’s fantastical epilogue where he magnificently recreates Eugène Delacroix romanticist painting of The Barque of Dante before depicting a visually arresting piece on Dante’s The Divine Comedy where Bruno Ganz’s Verge becomes more relevant to Jack’s psyche and the philosophical discussions they shared throughout the film.

As expected, this is another controversial piece of work from Lars von Trier. The material is certainly difficult viewing but it feels like a filmmaker laying his soul bare and also one having the audacity to toy with his critics and put himself front and centre. Von Trier himself might see this as his magnum opus while others might just see a masturbatory pretension where he disappears up his own orifice. Empathising with von Trier or understanding his tortured psyche will be entirely up to the individual viewer and/or any preconceived opinions you have on his body of work. One thing’s for certain, though, von Trier has people talking… again.

Mark Walker

Trivia: The repeated shots in which Jack holds up large cue cards while standing in an alley are a reference to Bob Dylan’s famous music video “Subterranean Homesick Blues”.

This entry was posted on December 16, 2018 at 5:25 pm and is filed under Crime, Drama, Horror with tags 2018. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.