Lars von Trier's Most Disturbing Movie Isn't 'Dancer in the Dark', It's This Psychological Horror

On May 14, 2018, an elderly man struggles up the steps of the Palais de Cannes. He smiles, but his hands visibly shook. The lights dim in the auditorium and the out-of-competition screening of The House That Jack Built begins.

For the next two and a half hours, the dull thud of the closing door echoes through the auditorium as audience members leave after each new murder.

This is the Danish director's return – one of his most provocative and personal films.

What Is 'The House That Jack Built' About?

Jack is an educated aesthete and pedantic hypochondriac who is also a failed architect. Over the course of twelve years, he has committed five "incidents," a term he uses to avoid calling them murders.

Verge, his interlocutor, is a guide through Dante's inferno. Jack believes his murders are works of art – he compares them to Glenn Gould's piano playing or medieval cathedrals.

'The House That Jack Built' Marked Lars von Trier's Controversial Return to the Cannes Film Festival

Trier's arrival was long-awaited, but it didn't feel triumphant. Three years later, the 66-year-old director confirmed what everyone at the premiere had suspected: he has Parkinson's disease.

The disease is preventing him from finishing his new film, After, but back in 2018, few thought that The House That Jack Built would be the director's last feature film.

Trier himself was pleased with the mass exodus of viewers – or at least he pretended to be, he would have been more upset if everyone had liked the movie. The film's sarcastic tone and grotesque nature perfectly express his innermost thoughts.

In this deadly race, art is a couple of steps ahead of morality, seeking its origins in the wildest and most irrational depths of the human soul.

'The House That Jack Built' Delves Into the Philosophy of Violence and the Intersection of Aesthetics and Morality

The House That Jack Built is uncomfortable to watch and even more uncomfortable to discuss. In his confessional opus about a madman, the director raises questions about the intersection of morality and aesthetics.

Are death, violence, and blood the foundation upon which great art is built? Is it justifiable to shed blood and build a house from human bone bricks? What is the relationship between art and morality?

Lars von Trier doesn't provide answers, he only asks questions and observes how the audience reacts.

The House That Jack Built is a manifesto for an artist who has stopped pretending that art has any connection to goodness. It is von Trier's most candid and cynical statement about the nature of creativity and the idea that a true artist doesn't have to be a good person.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The House That Jack Built'?

• The House That Jack Built has 59% from critics and 65% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.8/10.

• On Letterboxd, The House That Jack Built scored 3.6/5.0.

Where to Watch 'The House That Jack Built'?

The House That Jack Built is available to stream on Hulu and Shudder.