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Product Information

In 2001, Lars von Trier convinces veteran filmmaker Jorgen Leth to create five remakes of his 1967 short THE PERFECT HUMAN. Calling himself the Obstructor, von Trier orders Leth to make his films in various parts of the world with extremely specific demands. For instance, the first film must be shot in Cuba with no set with only 12 frames per shot. The five remakes-within-the-film are The Perfect Human: Bombay, The Perfect Human: Brussels, The Perfect Human: Cartoon, The Perfect Human: Cuba, and The Perfect Human: Avedore, Denmark. Each has its own set of ridiculous limitations created by von Trier.

Product Identifiers

EAN5055159277037

eBay Product ID (ePID)30894777

Product Key Features

Film/TV TitleFive Obstructions

DirectorLars Von Trier, Jorgen Leth

Release Year2004

FormatDVD

LanguageDanish

FeaturesWith Subtitles

GenreDrama, General

Subtitle LanguageEnglish

Run Time88 Mins

Additional Product Features

Certificate15

Country/Region of ManufactureDenmark

Number of Discs1

Additional InformationWith THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director Jorgen Leth, forcing him to remake his classic 1967 short, 'The Perfect Human', five different times, with a series of increasingly outlandish guidelines. His goal is to break down the abnormally stable Leth, teaching him a valuable life lesson in the process. In the first film, von Trier sends Leth to Cuba and sets his first seemingly insurmountable rule: make a film that consists of shots that are no longer than twelve frames at a time. Miraculously, Leth uses his forced limitations to create a beautiful work, which obviously irks von Trier. Next up, von Trier challenges Leth to return to Bombay - which he calls the 'most wretched place on Earth' - in order to confront some demons from his past. Once again, the clever mentor rises to the challenge. Frustrated and sensing defeat, von Trier's next challenge is deceptively simple: Leth must remake his film with no limitations whatsoever. He travels to Brussels and succeeds once again. After a foray into animation, von Trier creates the final obstruction, a film in which von Trier admits defeat and pays tribute to his mentor. 'The Five Obstructions' is a thoughtful, entertaining meditation on the filmmaking process.

Movie/TV TitleFive Obstructions

Consumer AdviceContains moderate sex and one use of strong language