Director
Lars von Trier
Leading Actors/Actresses
Matt Dillon
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Riley Keough, and Jeremy Davies
Genre
Psychological Horror
Language
English
Awards
The film won quite a few awards at the Black Sea Film Festival, including Best Film and Best Director
Date of Release
November 28th, 2018
Producer
Louise Vesth
Setting and Context
1980s Washington, the United States
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Jack
Point of view: Third-person
Tone and Mood
Tone: Solemn, Violent, Stark, and Judgemental
Mood: Violent, Brutal, Unrelenting, Evil, and Dysfunctional
Protagonist and Antagonist
Jack is the film's protagonist; the film doesn't have a clear-cut antagonist, however.
Major Conflict
Jack's desire to fulfill his deep and dark needs while trying to not get caught and trying to appear as normal as possible.
Climax
When Jack enters Hell
Foreshadowing
Jack killing the first woman is foreshadowed by their conversation (she mentions that he "looks like a serial killer," for example).
Understatement
Jack's desire to be - or at the very least appear - normal is understated in a few sections of the film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
N/A
Allusions
Like most of von Trier's films, The House That Jack Built alludes to the Bible and religion in general, Roman and Greek mythology, history, other films, and the geography of the U.S.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
von Trier parallels parts of Jack's story with the stories of other serial killers (real or those in fiction).
