Self-referential, graphically violent, and wildly imaginative, The House That Jack Built is, in its own twisted way, an exploration of an artist’s development and maturation as the film invites us to read the serial killer Jack (Matt Dillon) as a thinly veiled portrait of von Trier himself. Along the way, Jack finds time for amusing digressions on all manner of subjects, such as the genius of pianist Glenn Gould. The violence may be over-the-top, but it is appropriate in context with the director’s self-analysis of his own shock-and-awe tactics as a filmmaker.

Notes by David O’Mahony

Screening as part of Lars von Trier: Enduring Provocations. Multi-film pass available.