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The House that Jack built

The House that Jack built

Dänemark/Frankreich/Deutschland/Schweden 2018 - with Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Siobhan Fallon Hogan ...

The Frankfurt-Tipp rating:

Movie info

Original title:The House that Jack built
Genre:Thriller, Drama
Direction:Lars von Trier
Cinema release:29.11.2018
Production country:Dänemark/Frankreich/Deutschland/Schweden 2018
Running time:Approx. 152 min
Rated:Age 18+
Web page:www.thehousethatjackbuilt-film.de/

Jack (Matt Dillon) is a killer. Ice cold, highly intelligent, merciless. He tells a mysterious counterpart (Bruno Ganz) about five murders he committed over a twelve-year period. Truly not his only murders, but ones that exemplify his development as a serial killer. Murders that reveal his ultimate goal: A collection of all his murders, manifested in a house of his own construction. But Jack becomes more and more reckless in the process, leaving his mark - and so the foundation, so carefully built at the beginning, could quickly collapse.

Lars von Trier is known for his love of provocation. His latest work of machination, The House that Jack Built, is no exception. The film demands a lot from its audience. In addition to previous knowledge of art history, you need to be really good at sitting and have a strong stomach. Because when it comes to the depiction of violence, von Trier really overshoots the mark in at least one scene. You have to give the filmmaker credit for the fact that his films (almost) always have something fascinating about them, even if they may be repulsive at times. But someone who eschews subtlety for the sole purpose of provoking is not a good director in my eyes.

This film is the perfect testament to that. It would have been much more effective had von Trier shown less. This doesn't just refer to the depiction of violence, but to the entire last act. As a viewer, you quickly know who Jack is talking to. You don't need that explained to you and shown in an overlong, completely unnecessary sequence. Because in itself, the movie has a certain appeal. Matt Dillon is terrifyingly good as a serial killer with obsessive-compulsive disorder who gradually becomes more and more ruthless and negligent. And the moments where some whimsical humor creeps into the whole thing are really good, too.

But then von Trier absolutely has to show what other filmmakers shy away from. He's allowed to, because he's an artist, after all. At least that's what enough people still believe. But let's be honest: This artist, who repeatedly makes headlines with very questionable statements, can't really be completely clean in the head. Because otherwise even he would have realized that this movie has some scenes that it doesn't need to work and that are simply beyond good taste. And that's why there's a for this piece of machination: Really only worth seeing for hardcore Lars von Trier admirers!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp

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Cinema trailer for the movie "The House that Jack built (Dänemark/Frankreich/Deutschland/Schweden 2018)"
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