2003, Denmark/Switzerland/Belgium/France
Documentary
Director Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dogville) fulfills an arrogant vision of submitting another director to a strict agenda while filming each short in The Five Obstructions. Not only is the director one that he admires and one who has influenced his own work, but von Trier has the gall to try to scratch beneath Jørgen Leth's surface while imposing these absurd restrictions.
Fellow Danish director Leth reviews his 1967 short "The Perfect Human," in which he narrates the thoughts and actions of the tongue-in-cheek ideal specimen. Von Trier -- king of the Dogme 95 filmthought in which filmmakers may not use any extraneous additions to their scenes or edits -- suggests Leth recreate this film five times, with a different set of rules for each one. Through this process von Trier hopes to whittle down what was originally perfect to something more human and fallible.
The first obstruction allows no edit to be longer than 12 frames, the questions of the original film must be answered, there can be no set, and it must take place somewhere Leth has never been: Cuba (inspired as Leth puffs on his cigar). The result consists of stuttering cuts and the use of back and forth film edits, almost appearing as a stop motion series of still frames. Leth was horrified at the thought of such quick cuts, and von Trier is almost disappointed that the final film is satisfying.
As von Trier attempts to instill that this exercise is more therapy than a one-man film competition, the next obstruction's main focus involves an undesirable location. Leth chooses Bombay's red light district, in which he had a gritty experience years before. As Leth directs himself dressed to the nines while eating an elegant meal in the middle of a decidedly struggling neighborhood, he makes the most of an uncomfortable situation. However, von Trier asserts that the director failed to strictly follow each rule for this obstruction, and offers a punishment of the ultimate restriction: free choice.
Leth again sails through with yet another great vision, and so von Trier attempts to unnerve him in the fourth obstruction with a shared hatred: cartoons. Leth utilizes the animation direction of Bob Sabiston (Richard Linklater's visually jarring Waking Life), and again von Trier struggles with something not less than perfect.
In the fifth and final obstruction, von Trier turns the focus on his beloved director. The rules for this film are no rules at all for Leth -- von Trier will use the behind-the-scenes documentary to create the final installation, and Leth will narrate with a letter von Trier wrote. It is here than von Trier reveals his true intentions and his last attempt to unnerve his mentor.
This film takes an interesting look at creativity influenced by structure. As von Trier chides Leth for not adhering strictly, it appears as two children playing a game for which there are no true written rules. And yet, the results are not random -- each film breathes with a different soul. Von Trier perhaps did not gain his predicted objective, but with his audience he achieved a newfound respect for the artist.
DVD extras include the original film in its entirety, different language tracks, and a commentary by Leth.