I lost interest in Lars Von Trier following Nymphomanic, a film best described as all his other films remade for stupid people and then edited together.

I am intrigued by his new film, though, and might just be willing to give him another shot.

The House That Jack Built, which includes a few brutal death scenes involving women and children from the perspective of the man perpetrating the crimes, is a sadistic dive into the inner-workings of a disturbed mind.

Here’s IndieWire with the details:

Equal parts graphic midnight movie and discursive essay on the creative process, “The House That Jack Built” stars Matt Dillon as the titular antihero, and takes its cues from his version of the story. Speaking to an unseen accented man named Verge (Bruno Ganz), Jack prepares to boast of his achievements even as Verge (phantom or shrink, we’re not quite sure) teases him that he’s heard it all. Jack embraces the challenge, announcing his plan to describe “five randomly chosen incidents over a 12-year period,” all of which involve gruesome murders.

Much like Nymphomaniac, the film unfolds as a series of flashbacks. Unlike Nymphomaniac, the film doesn’t flash back to reworkings of other films by Lars von Trier.

See for yourself:

IndieWire called it “Horrifying, Sadistic, Possibly Brilliant”, whilst Variety said it is a “movie that keeps you grimly absorbed and shut out at the same time”.

Worth a watch. After dinner. I get the feeling that this isn’t one to enjoy with a meal.

[source:indiewire]