The Five ObstructionsDo we challenge ourselves out of a desire to see how far we can go, or from a compulsion to fulfill the desires of others? The Five Obstructions is a documentary about two filmmakers--Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth--engaged in an experimental filmmaking exercise. Lars challenges his mentor, Jørgen, to remake his 1967 short film, The Perfect Human, several times over, each with a unique set of criteria--or "obstructions"--ostensibly to trip him up. This forces Jørgen to engineer clever ways to produce each film under these impositions, consequently awakening him to new and refreshing perspectives.
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The central question in The Five Obstructions is whether Lars is truly trying to flummox his proclaimed mentor, or if he is attempting in his roundabout way to both pay homage and give something back to Jørgen. He intimates that his crafty idea is a kind of "therapy" for Jørgen, but to what end? Does Jørgen need therapy? Even for audiences unfamiliar with these two Danish filmmakers--or Jørgen's The Perfect Human for that matter--Jørgen's character is revealed in his rare protests to Lars' challenges and in his process working abroad. Because of Lars's restrictions, Jørgen travels the world--from Cuba to Bombay, to Brussels and even Austin, Texas. Jørgen's series of adaptations span a period of almost two years, meaning that this experiment requires a serious investment of Jørgen's time and money, and Jørgen brings back films that are of high quality. This reveals that Jørgen is a man who takes his career seriously, and Lars's homework assignments--as stifling as he tries to make them--stimulate his creative juices. Lars and Jørgen meet in between adaptations--virtually in one instance--and debate how "successfully" Jørgen achieved Lars' checklist of musts. These interludes play out like a cross between a student turning in his term paper to his strict professor and a job interview; both men maintain a level of professional courtesy befitting their camaraderie. The Five Obstructions shares similarities with My Dinner with Andre; both films present real people playing versions of themselves, friends convening to challenge the way the other thinks or inhabits their world. The Five Obstructions appears unscripted, capturing Lars and Jørgen in the moment; but even when Lars first walks into Jørgen's room to propose his challenge, it's clear that could not be impromptu, leaving the audience to guess what is and isn't scripted. Despite the appeal in waiting to see if Jørgen will stop putting up with Lars's arbitrary restrictions, The Five Obstructions is really about how friends and colleagues motivate one another to create something new when they are removed from their comfort zone.
From the first, the obstructions Lars imposes seem nearly impossible, yet Jørgen applies his own interpretation to these rules so as to still produce something enjoyable and distinct. Lars's rules come from his observations about Jørgen, catered to defy complacency. His first challenge is that he must remake The Perfect Human with no sets, answer the rhetorical questions he asked in the original, be shot on location in Cuba, and finally that no edit is longer than twelve frames (for reference, this is approximately half a second). What appears to be a cruelly unfeasible imposition results in a vibrant and energetic reimagining of The Perfect Human, with a local cast, and a spry tempo. Lars follows this with a vague imposition that he must visit a place he considers "miserable", but is restricted from showing it, while performing the role of the "perfect man" himself. When Lars assigns this sinister rule, it begs the question as to whether Lars is truly guiding Jørgen to produce something unique or if his motivations are more mean-spirited. It is the classic dynamic of a coach who pushes their team beyond their limits while trying to make them realize something special about themselves. Jørgen goes to the red-light district in Bombay (Kamathipura), recalling an encounter that left him with a profound sense of despair. His next adaptation is somewhat self-abasing; decked out in a tuxedo, he eats an elegant feast in front of a semi-translucent screen, while poverty stricken children are barely visible behind it. This is the most socially conscious entry, but Lars disqualifies it for reasons that the audience will no doubt regard as petty--like an umpire provoking the fans at a sporting event with a questionable call. As "punishment", Lars issues a challenge to Jørgen: either remake the prior film or make one with no guiding criteria by Lars, leaving Jørgen to decide for himself what he should do to compensate for what Lars regards as a failure. This is the most revealing of all of the obstructions, because Jørgen seems a bit staggered by it. He had become conditioned to feel a sense of satisfaction at overcoming these obstacles; now that the hurdles are invisible, Jørgen ironically has less control to subvert these barriers. Jørgen latches onto a small aside Lars says about "making the 2002 The Perfect Human", compelling him to produce a highly modern film that features elegant characters, a contemporary look, and even more mature content. Despite all of his impositions, Lars sees that Jørgen is too comfortable in his medium, and radically shakes things up with the fourth obstruction by demanding that it must be a cartoon, which Lars and Jørgen confess they both dislike. The resulting animated film employs rotoscoping and becomes his baptism by fire; he even conquers the challenge by drawing upon aspects from all of the prior iterations, making it something of a capstone piece. Lars's final challenge is unsurprisingly the most unorthodox; he tells Jørgen that although he will make the final film, Jørgen will be credited as the director and provide narration. This is designed to bait the audience into thinking that Lars is saving his best prank for last by literally taking control away from Jørgen, although the final product--which borrows a bit from Ingmar Bergman--turns out to be an homage and love letter to his mentor. This is precisely what The Five Obstructions really is--a statement from a disciple to a teacher in appreciation for helping him find his path, and returning the favor.
Recommended for: Fans of an experimental documentary that is as much a battle of wits as it is an artistic embrace from one filmmaker to another. The Five Obstructions is a self-aware film that dances between the more traditional documentary format and the short films that Jørgen produces, but doesn't require any advance knowledge of the works of either filmmaker to enjoy it.
From the first, the obstructions Lars imposes seem nearly impossible, yet Jørgen applies his own interpretation to these rules so as to still produce something enjoyable and distinct. Lars's rules come from his observations about Jørgen, catered to defy complacency. His first challenge is that he must remake The Perfect Human with no sets, answer the rhetorical questions he asked in the original, be shot on location in Cuba, and finally that no edit is longer than twelve frames (for reference, this is approximately half a second). What appears to be a cruelly unfeasible imposition results in a vibrant and energetic reimagining of The Perfect Human, with a local cast, and a spry tempo. Lars follows this with a vague imposition that he must visit a place he considers "miserable", but is restricted from showing it, while performing the role of the "perfect man" himself. When Lars assigns this sinister rule, it begs the question as to whether Lars is truly guiding Jørgen to produce something unique or if his motivations are more mean-spirited. It is the classic dynamic of a coach who pushes their team beyond their limits while trying to make them realize something special about themselves. Jørgen goes to the red-light district in Bombay (Kamathipura), recalling an encounter that left him with a profound sense of despair. His next adaptation is somewhat self-abasing; decked out in a tuxedo, he eats an elegant feast in front of a semi-translucent screen, while poverty stricken children are barely visible behind it. This is the most socially conscious entry, but Lars disqualifies it for reasons that the audience will no doubt regard as petty--like an umpire provoking the fans at a sporting event with a questionable call. As "punishment", Lars issues a challenge to Jørgen: either remake the prior film or make one with no guiding criteria by Lars, leaving Jørgen to decide for himself what he should do to compensate for what Lars regards as a failure. This is the most revealing of all of the obstructions, because Jørgen seems a bit staggered by it. He had become conditioned to feel a sense of satisfaction at overcoming these obstacles; now that the hurdles are invisible, Jørgen ironically has less control to subvert these barriers. Jørgen latches onto a small aside Lars says about "making the 2002 The Perfect Human", compelling him to produce a highly modern film that features elegant characters, a contemporary look, and even more mature content. Despite all of his impositions, Lars sees that Jørgen is too comfortable in his medium, and radically shakes things up with the fourth obstruction by demanding that it must be a cartoon, which Lars and Jørgen confess they both dislike. The resulting animated film employs rotoscoping and becomes his baptism by fire; he even conquers the challenge by drawing upon aspects from all of the prior iterations, making it something of a capstone piece. Lars's final challenge is unsurprisingly the most unorthodox; he tells Jørgen that although he will make the final film, Jørgen will be credited as the director and provide narration. This is designed to bait the audience into thinking that Lars is saving his best prank for last by literally taking control away from Jørgen, although the final product--which borrows a bit from Ingmar Bergman--turns out to be an homage and love letter to his mentor. This is precisely what The Five Obstructions really is--a statement from a disciple to a teacher in appreciation for helping him find his path, and returning the favor.
Recommended for: Fans of an experimental documentary that is as much a battle of wits as it is an artistic embrace from one filmmaker to another. The Five Obstructions is a self-aware film that dances between the more traditional documentary format and the short films that Jørgen produces, but doesn't require any advance knowledge of the works of either filmmaker to enjoy it.