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★★½☆☆
5 December 2018
A movie review of THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. |
“Just don’t believe you will tell me anything I haven’t already heard,” Verge (Bruno Ganz)
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT is a messy 152-minute serial killer film set over 12 years. The recent movies of director Lars von Trier have become annoyingly attention-seeking in their depiction of violence and sex. Where is a semblance of the humanism of BREAKING THE WAVES (1996) or the wit of THE BOSS OF IT ALL (2006)? Contrast directors Michael Haneke in FUNNY GAMES (1997/2007) or Crag S. Zahler in BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 (2017), where brutality has a point as well as a potency.
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT is a messy 152-minute serial killer film set over 12 years. The recent movies of director Lars von Trier have become annoyingly attention-seeking in their depiction of violence and sex. Where is a semblance of the humanism of BREAKING THE WAVES (1996) or the wit of THE BOSS OF IT ALL (2006)? Contrast directors Michael Haneke in FUNNY GAMES (1997/2007) or Crag S. Zahler in BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 (2017), where brutality has a point as well as a potency.
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Five incidents are randomly chosen in the life of Jack (Matt Dillon), with asides and an epilogue. Why these incidents in a whole life? As the murders occur, Jack and Verge converse off camera. The feeling is of a DVD commentary. There are philosophical, spiritual and psychological musings offering little profundity. Who this Verge is we don’t get to see until the closing strait. At least some humour is provided. Uma Thurman makes a game extended cameo.
However, the women are portrayed as foolish. Surprising in a Lars von Trier movie. He rarely portrays female characters as such. Verge proposes some sort of crummy theory, which does not sit right. The targets aren’t even given names except Riley Keough‘s character, ‘Simple’. One victim, Lady 3 (Sofie Gråbøl), is sporting a M.A.G.A.-style red hat. By ensnaring them, is Jack meant to be a metaphor for Donald Trump? Lady 1 (Uma Thurman) has a grating sense of entitlement. Lady 2 (Siobhan Fallon Hogan) is greedy. Is Lars von Trier remarking on a lack of judgement in voting for a politician that seems to want to curtail their rights and freedoms? If this was the intention of the film, the political allegory is clunky. Offsetting the whiff of misogyny is that all the cast, outside of Jack and Verge, are not shown to be bright.
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Jack’s relative acumen is compared to everyone else’s – victims, associates, a cop, etc. Luck though plays a part in the protagonist’s journey (e.g. rain washing away a trail of incriminating blood). The growing sadism and elaborateness of the murders demonstrate Jack’s low boredom threshold. Is that supposed to be a FUNNY GAMES-esque viewership commentary?
“The ones I deal with tend to repent all over the place,” Verge
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT does not particularly engage the brain or the heart, just occasionally the guts. Jack talks about the lack of punishment for his crimes. The nihilism and pessimism are undermined by the conclusion. Is that meant to be a balm for the audience, or a reminder to create justice on Earth?
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