The Five Obstructions (2003)

Original title

De fem benspænd

Directed by

Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier

Genre

documentary film, drama film, art film

Country

Germany, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands

Runtime

1h 30m

Rated

11

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 179 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Lars von Trier challenges his friend and mentor Jorgen Leth to remake his short film The Perfect Human five times. Each version must follow a different set of arbitrary rules imposed by Trier.

experimentalplayfulcerebralself-reflexivetenseintimatemischievousthought-provoking

What happens

The Five Obstructions is a 2003 Danish documentary film directed by Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth. The film is conceived as a documentary, but incorporates lengthy sections of experimental films produced by the filmmakers. The premise is that Trier has created a challenge for his friend and mentor, Jørgen Leth, another renowned filmmaker. Lars von Trier's favorite film is Leth's The Perfect Human, and Trier gives Leth the task of remaking The Perfect Human five times, each time with a different "obstruction" (or obstacle) imposed by Trier. It has been said that "Both this film and Dogville show a more mature Trier, one who is more aware of and accountable to the full implications of the torture, suffering and victimization he has employed in his films, especially in exploring how easily those who victimize others in the name of righteousness become victims [of] their own self-righteousness." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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