The Perfect Human (1967)

Original title

Det perfekte menneske

Directed by

Jørgen Leth

Genre

short film, documentary film, experimental film

Country

Denmark

Runtime

12 min

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 53 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A Danish couple in a blank white room perform everyday actions like eating and kissing. A detached voice-over describes their behavior in a cold scientific tone. This thirteen minute black and white film treats the couple like specimens in a zoo.

detachedclinicalobservationalelegantminimalistsurrealironicatmosphericcool

What happens

The Perfect Human (Danish: Det perfekte menneske) is a cult short film in black and white by Jørgen Leth lasting 13 minutes about a middle class Danish couple performing everyday rituals. The film examines human behavior in a suave, pseudo-scientific way. It depicts well-dressed actors, a man and a woman, both labelled 'the perfect human' in a detached manner, 'functioning' in a blank boundless room, as though they were subjects in a zoo. The tone of world-weary detachment is created through a voice-over providing comments on their mundane actions. The film was later seen in five different versions when Leth was challenged by filmmaker Lars von Trier, which were compiled in The Five Obstructions. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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