Finally, if you’re a US citizen then you can watch Jack Goes Home on VOD and in selected cinemas. Or, if you’re like me, stuck across the pond, Dekker assures we will too be able to watch soon.
Jack Goes Home made its debut yesterday, October 14th in Los Angeles and New York – and the cast and crew celebrated last night as pictured on Instagram.
Whilst Dekker’s first widely released written and directed film has received mixed reviews, many reviewers have been complimentary. Personal taste and an appreciation for artistic storytelling and gut wrenching drama are likely to impact the experience of Jack Goes Home. But as a Dekker fan, I doubt you’ll have any problems in being drawn into the dark world Dekker has created or the scary realism of secrets and abuse entangled within the horror story.
The positive buzz around it comes from various places – check out the links below.
And, if you’re on iTunes, don’t forget to buy the Jack Goes Home soundtrack featuring vocals by Dekker and composed by Ceiri Torjussen (@Ceiri_Composer).
There’s no question that Thomas Dekker‘s sophomore effort as writer-director is a head-scratcher. What you as a viewer must decide is whether or not to keep scratching. I don’t think anyone outside of Dekker himself can truly unpack the type of psychological chaos occurring within Jack Goes Home, and I like that notion. This is an artist using his medium as an outlet to exorcise demons without necessarily factoring in audience expectations. It doesn’t supply easy answers, leaves a ton of loose ends as far as what’s real or fantasy, and turns deadly violent on a dime. It seeks divisiveness by throwing the kitchen sink of horrific tragedies onto Jack Thurlowe (Rory Culkin) until he can no longer breathe before letting him stew — simultaneously unhinged and deceptively anticlimactic.
– read the full feature at The Film Stage.
Dekker — also a talented young actor and musician — reportedly based “Jack Goes Home” on his own experiences, which may be why it initially plays more like a personal drama than a thriller. The tone shifts when Jack finds a message from his late father, containing a clue that leads him on a soul-shattering scavenger hunt.
– read more at Los Angeles Times.
The film is so layered and nuanced that there is something for everyone in this film. It tells the story of a son, about to become a father, while coping with a relationship with his mother. It shows a son discovering more about his past as he learns more about who he is and the emotional struggles that go with it. In between those moments, we are also given sequences of hallucinations or delusions, blurring the lines between reality. While it is by far, not an easy film to watch due to dark themes of depression and sexuality, it is worth the watch. Thomas Dekker has put a great deal into this film, and his love for it shows.
– read more at We Live Entertainment.