Lars von Trier's new film The House That Jack Built recently screened at Cannes and received a strong response, with people reportedly walking out of the screening and then Tweeting that it was it "vile," "gross" and "vomitive." The director responding to the widespread outrage and negative reviews from critics, and now PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American) is weighing in on a graphic animal mutilation scene. Several scenes have been mentioned has being the reason for the strong audience response. The following response from PETA does potentially contain some spoilers, so you have been warned. Their respons is below:
“Following numerous calls about a scene in Lars von Trier’s film The House That Jack Built in which a young child uses a pair of pliers to cut a duckling’s leg off, PETA has confirmed that the “leg” was created using movie magic and silicone parts,” PETA’s Senior Vice President Lisa Lange said in a statement emailed to Bloody Disgusting. “While depictions of gratuitous violence like this may leave viewers sickened, it’s true that serial killers, like the character in the film, often get their start by first torturing animals, making the scene all the more realistic and disturbing. PETA is also happy to report that the images of tigers in the movie were from stock footage, yet again proving that there’s no need to use live wild animals in productions, thanks to the many humane alternatives being embraced by filmmakers today.”
In an interview with Cineuropa, von Trier said he was pleased by the reaction from the audience, saying:
“It’s quite important not to be loved by everybody, because then you’ve failed. I’m not sure if they hated it enough, though. If it gets too popular, I’ll have a problem. But the reception seemed just about right, I think.”
He also spoke about he research for the film, saying that he read Patricia Highsmith's work and that it was “a pleasure to write”. He also added:
“I do know a bit about psychopaths. I’ve never killed anyone myself. If I do, it will probably be a journalist.”
Written and directed by Lars von Trier, it features a cast that includes Matt Dillon, Uma Thurman, Bruno Ganz, Ed Speleers, Sofie Grabol, Riley Keough and Yu Ji-tae. You can check out a batch of clips below.
"The House That Jack Built tells the story of the highly intelligent Jack over a span of 12 years and introduces the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view, while he postulates each murder is an artwork in itself. As the inevitable police intervention is drawing nearer, he is taking greater and greater risks in his attempt to create the ultimate artwork.”