The Five Obstructions

Name: The Five Obstructions
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2003-11-07
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 6.9
Cast: Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier, Claus Nissen, Majken Algren Nielsen, Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez

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6.9(167 votes)

2003

1h 30m

Documentary

third worldchallengeanimated scenedirectorfilmmakingmentor protégé relationship

Overview

In 1967, experimental filmmaker Jorgen Leth created a striking short film, The Perfect Human, starring a man and women sitting in a box while a narrator poses questions about their relationship and humanity. Years later, Danish director Lars von Trier made a deal with Leth to remake his film five times, each under a different set of circumstances and with von Trier's strictly prescribed rules. As Leth completes each challenge, von Trier creates increasingly further elaborate stipulations.