We’ve said it a million times before, but Lars von Trier is a troll. That isn’t to say he’s not a talented filmmaker. Your love (or hate) of his films is definitely justified. However, the director seems to react to controversy in a way where you can imagine he’s secretly laughing behind the scenes. In response to the terrible reviews and walkouts that happened during the Cannes premiere of his upcoming film “The House That Jack Built,” von Trier commented that it made him “very relaxed” and “the reception was just about right.” And in the new character posters for the same film, von Trier seems to laugh at the outrage that has been thrown his way by presenting some graphic depictions of his main characters. Oh yeah, and just for fun, von Trier throws himself in the mix, as well.
READ MORE: Lars Von Trier’s ‘The House That Jack Built’ Is Repulsive, Toxic Trash [Cannes Review]
The posters (seen below) show Matt Dillon (as Jack) joined by his four victims (Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and Sophie Gråbøl, respectively) as each are contorted in grotesque ways, complete with wire binding them. This can’t be too shocking considering the content of the film, which follows Jack, a serial killer with OCD, as he tortures, maims, and disfigures his victims in horribly graphic ways. The last two posters show co-star Bruno Ganz and von Trier himself in similar horrible configurations.
If you see those images and are angry at how a filmmaker could possibly laugh at the depiction of female violence in his film by happily showing images such as these, then you are doing exactly what von Trier hopes. This is trolling at its finest. And again, that’s no slight on von Trier. The man has a real skill at filmmaking, but perhaps an even greater skill at welcoming (and enjoying) controversy. Let’s not forget, this is the guy who previously went to Cannes and showed sympathy to Nazis and Hitler.
In our Cannes review of “The House That Jack Built,” Jessica Kiang called out the filmmaker’s penchant for trolling and saying, “And never has it felt this pointed, this personal and this radioactive with virulently infectious self-loathing. Here are just a few of the interest groups he works hard to offend repeatedly: women; law enforcement; anyone who’s ever defended him or one of his movies in the past (boy do we feel like idiots now); all his actors; people with children; people who were once children; art historians; classical scholars; Glenn Gould fans; serial killers; people with eyes; everyone who applauded him as he arrived at the film’s premiere; ducks; and of course the Cannes Film Festival selection committee.”
READ MORE: Lars von Trier Dares You To Watch 3 New Clips From The Detested ‘House That Jack Built’
For some, this type of marketing and controversy is just enough to get them to watch the film. They’ll be joined by the von Trier faithful that already had their tickets purchased. For the rest, the best idea is to move along, nothing to see here.
“The House That Jack Built” hits theaters sometime later this year.
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