The House That Jack Built Review

The House That Jack Built is a polarising film that dares to go beyond the realms of what most directors would ever consider, but then that’s Lars Von Trier all over. I think he is one of the most fascinating directors working today and this film only proves this more.

The cast is rather spectacular from Matt Dillon’s disturbingly brilliant performance as Jack, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Sofie Gråbøl, Bruno Ganz, and a blink and you’ll miss it cameo from Yoo Ji-tae (Oldboy) that probably only Korean cinema fans like me would notice.

The narrative technique of The House That Jack Built is very similar to that of Trier’s Nymphomaniac films (the protagonist retells the story of their burgeoning affliction to a stranger) but it is very different too, especially towards the end. So basically this review is going to turn into a comparison between the two films…

What’s similar

 I love the way Trier writes the narrators in these two films, they are cultured and make interesting parallels between art, music and life. And then the people they tell their stories to comment on the implausibility of events; Verge notes that the incompetence of the police is very convenient in The House That Jack Built while Seligman notes that Jerome appears at moments in Joe’s life unrealistically and conveniently in Nymphomaniac

They both feature extreme imagery, graphic sex and graphic murder.

What’s different

The allusion to Dante’s Inferno that is fully revealed at the end but is quite clear throughout the film takes The House that Jack Built from being rooted in ‘reality’ to taking on a much more fantastical vibe.

Is The House that Jack Built, the male version of Nymphomaniac? Are both of these films showing how the different sexes show their depravity as seen by a biased society, for women it’s too much sex and for men too much bloodlust and brutality, toxic masculinity? Just a thought.

Russian Cinema - Лето (Leto) Review

Лето (Leto) which means Summer in English is a Russian Biographical Rock’n’Roll Musical set in 1980’s Leningrad in the dying days of the Soviet Union. It’s a love letter, a celebration to an era of dawning hope and rebellious youth which is beautifully captured by director Kirill Serebrennikov.

Leto follows the rise of one of the most iconic rock musicians of 80’s Russia, Viktor Tsoi of rock band Kino and his relationship with fellow musician Mike Naumenko of Zoopark and how they both navigated artistic expression, living in relative poverty and restricted success. The film also cleverly comments on the nature of the biographical film with a character who breaks the fourth wall after certain (unrealistic) moments to insist to the viewer that that event never really happened.

There is a frenetic energy in Serebrennikov’s direction which really shines in the musical interludes which include an aggressive cover of the Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer and a dreamy rendition of Passenger by Iggy Pop. Doodles appear on the screen in these musical interludes to create a mixed media music video like moment that instantly grabs your attention.

Teo Yoo a Korean actor born and raised in Germany steals the spotlight as Viktor Tsai and his understated performance and character evolution holds the film together.

Another moment that feels so creative and fun is when the characters recreate a range of rock’n’roll album covers, the nostalgia it conjures up in this quirky sequence is undeniable.

Leto is available to rent on Mubi

Swiss Cinema - Sarah joue un loup-garou (Sarah Plays a Werewolf) Review

A gripping portrayal of growing up and the dangerous isolation of being a misfit.

Swiss filmmaker Katharina Wyss’ debut is a powerful statement about growing up. Filmed in a 4:3 ratio to give every frame an uneasy claustrophobia we follow Sarah as she tries to connect with those around her. Her family life is bizarre, with not so subtle hints of incest. Sarah’s only outlet is to abandon herself onstage at her theatre group. But like many young imaginative and disturbed people Sarah falls into a dangerous waltz with depression.

Loane Balthasar’s fearless performance as Sarah drives the film and the realism in the direction makes it feel achingly true. Rich opulent colours dominate the colour palette of the film which gives it a sense of excess that veers towards the grotesque, a metaphor for Sarah’s psyche perhaps. Another aspect of the cinematography and style of the film that I enjoyed was he lingering shots on critiques of theatre performances, opera and Nietzsche which is very indie French cinema.

Overall, Sarah joue un loup-garou is a fantastic psychological journey into the mind of a girl on the cusp of womanhood who is too fragile to survive in a harsh and indifferent world.

Directors I Admire Part I

It’s no secret that I love films. I think everyone I have ever encountered in my life knows this, I love watching them and I love talking about them. I would even love to be a director myself one day. So who are the filmmakers that fuel my fervent desire to consume movie after movie? I’ll break it down for you…

Stanley Kubrick

It all started with 2001: A Space Odyssey, I watched it one night, many nights ago on my 13 inch laptop screen (not ideal conditions, but it was either that or an equally tiny HD ready tv) and I was blown away. I love Science Fiction, but Kubrick made this film more than just a genre piece, its an epic tale of human ambition that highlights our desperate need for knowledge to affirm our place in the universe.

Since then I have watched many more of Kubrick’s films and I have to attest that he may just be the greatest filmmaker of all time. What do you think?

Park Chan Wook

Everyone has heard of Oldboy (I think? If not, are you even alive?) it is probably the most famous Korean movie due to its ultra violence and oedipal twist (sorry for the spoiler, you should have watched it already!). But I actually started my Park Chan Wook journey with Stoker (his first and only (to this date) English language film) and then I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK , a quirky comedy set in a mental institution. Since those two movies I have watched the rest of his films (that have been released here in England anyway) and I am utterly obsessed with his style. I think he is a master of cinematography, just look at The Handmaiden for example, I mean even the trailer for the film made me gush at how beautiful it looks!

Denis Villeneuve

Villeneuve is a wizard and one of the only directors making solid smart sci-fi films in Hollywood right now! I first came across his work with his film Enemy starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a man who discovers he has a Doppelgänger, what transpires is a Kafkaesque psychological thriller. It’s a very intriguing watch.

But for me Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 have cemented his status as one of the most formidable directors of the moment and I’m sure his re-imaging of the cult classic film and book Dune is only going to confirm that status.

Wes Anderson

Quirky indie director Anderson may have the most iconic film aesthetics in the industry, you can spot his films in an instant due to the colour palettes, symmetrical framing, attention to detail and many other things that this video does a great job of pinpointing. I discovered Rushmore on TV one afternoon many many years ago and lets just say I have never looked back. In terms of his entire filmography I would have to say that my favourites have to be The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Lars Von Trier

Von Trier has to be one of the most notorious filmmakers in the world, his films are shocking and often polarise audiences. I discovered Von Trier through Melancholia, a gem of a film that I feel not enough people have watched. It’s rather depressing seeing as it concerns the end of the world but the execution is simply wonderful and Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg are phenomenal in the film. It’s a must see, as is the highly controversial Nymphomanic Part I & II, which once again stars Gainsbourg who plays a self-diagnosed Nymphomanic who retells her sexual odyssey to a random stranger after he finds her beaten up on a street one night. It’s weird, it hilarious, a little (ok very) graphic but ultimately its an intriguing portrait of human sexuality at its extreme.

Sofia Coppola

Natural light, muted colour palettes, lost melancholic characters, complex female stories - this is what makes Coppola’s work so distinctive and compelling. Lost in Translation was one of the first movies I remember watching and obsessing over, before that I was just your casual movie watcher aged 10, afterwards I emerged enlightened in the art of cinematography and subtle storytelling.

Another one of Coppola’s films that I adore is Marie Antoinette, it was progressive, post punk music in a period piece? Converses in the Palais de Versailles? The film is ultimately a Candy coloured aesthetic dream and I am all for it. But behind the seemingly sugar sweet and vapid visuals lies a story about a young girl coming to terms with womanhood and the responsibility that comes with it. A universal theme that unites all women together. And that’s where the power of the film lies, that and its unapologetic stance on the seeking of beauty for beauty’s sake (as a Libra this speaks to my soul).

Spike Jonze

Full disclosure I have only ever watched one of Spike Jonze’s films and that film would be, Her. But I feel like I still have enough reasons to include him as one of the many directors that I admire. I just find everything about this film inspiring, the visuals, the story, the music, the acting. I't’s perfect. I feel like it is one of my favourite movies of all time and it will continue to be for a very very long time. Her feels like such a timely film as it deals with dating and isolation in a technology focused society. Although to be honest I wouldn’t mind inhabiting this soft pastel coloured world where the world is seemingly not sinister.

Jean-Luc Godard

Godard and his films will always go down in History as some of the most influential pieces of Cinema. Breathless is a masterpiece, but my favourite Godard movie has to be Une Femme est Une Femme. Anna Karina as Angela is iconic: the makeup, the fashion, the hair. The scene where they insult each other using book titles is genius and I just love the quirkiness of the direction.

Terrence Malick

Malick is a poetic filmmaker, the visuals are never not sumptuous and beautiful and its particularly (but not limited to) his work with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki that I am in awe of. I feel so inspired watching his movies, they make me want to make art and understand human nature on an even deeper level. I can’t wait to check out his newest film A Hidden Life which debuted and won two prizes at Cannes this year!

Hong Sang Soo

Hong Sang Soo is a master of realism. His films bring you into the everyday lives of his complex and philosophical characters in such a way that you feel what they feel. You feel the hope, the heartbreak and the aimlessness. He has been heralded as the Korean Woody Allen, which I tend to agree and disagree with. Nonetheless I fell in love with his movies recently thanks to a Selectrospective of his work on MUBI.

Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino is the patron saint of ultra violent cinema. His films are hilarious and stylish and he has made quite a number of iconic female characters. The dialogue and how he shoots it in his films is always fascinating to me, one example that I am still fascinated by is the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds and the dialogue between Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa and the dairy farmer who is harbouring jews. The way Tarantino builds tension is masterful.

Bong Joon Ho

Another South Korean director raising the bar for western filmmakers is Bong Joon Ho. He has quite the eclectic filmography with movies like Okja, Memories of Murder, Snowpiercer, The Host and many more including his new Palme D’Or Winning film Parasite. Snowpiercer like many other film watchers blew me away with its study on social classes and of course any film that has Song Kang Ho in it is going to be phenomenal.

Let me know in the comments section what Director’s work inspires you and also let me know if you like these film posts and want more reviews and recommendations!

French Cinema - Un homme idéal (A Perfect Man)

A thrilling almost Faustian tale of success, deceit and murder.

Mathieu Vasseur (Pierre Niney) has always wanted to become a famous writer, the only issue is that he can’t seem to get his work published, there is something he lacks. Talent. So when he happens across the journal of a recently deceased veteran while clearing out a house at his removal company job, he hazards his bets and steals the work.

What follows is a film that doesn’t stop pilling on the twists, and as Mathieu struggles to keep up with the facade he has built for himself his world comes crumbling down around him. It’s the age old saying: be careful what you wish for. A beautiful girlfriend and a lavish lifestyle come at a rather hefty price for Mathieu and throughout the film he tries desperately to hold onto those things, no matter what it takes. Even murder.

Un homme idéal, is a study in the fragility of the masculine identity. Mathieu has built himself up to be a seemingly perfect man (as the title of the film suggests), he is: handsome, intelligent and successful. But, he fears that his Girlfriend will leave him if she finds out he is a fraud. Everything he has done to establish himself has been in the pursuit of this one woman, and this insecurity that stems from the idea that he isn’t enough for her if he peels away all the fakery is what triggers his downfall. It’s brilliant psychological and sociological story telling that questions the unfair expectations put on men to be a certain archetype.