A really really interesting concept, but I don't care much for Jørgen Leth's original film, so it doesn't do all that much for me.

I wish the obstructions could've been more playful (like the first two), but this is quite a fun film that examines how far some are willing to go in art, in terms of technique and personal tastes.

Leave it to Trier's devlish ingenuity to challenge one of his mentors, Jørgen Leth, to redo a movie about perfection. These sort of experiments should be applauded and encouraged. Leth's results are rather magnificant, but the in-between talks seem staged and/or badly filmed/edited. But whatever, this random dude on IMDB said it best when he said "I don't know much about art, but this movie is like that scene where Obi-Wan meets Darth Vader".

"The success of the film depends almost distressingly on the audience's cheeky sense of bad faith toward Lars Von Trier." - Eric Henderson

Fun to watch how two of denmark's most iconic directors sparks with originality when put together. My favorite of the short films they make in the process was actually the first one. Loved when Leth said that he wasn't perverse...

A very interesting look at the obstacles a filmmaker must tackle. It's also amusing to see these two egos wrestle with each other. However, I felt that the ending lacked the profundity that the one director hoped for.

A very interesting cat-and-mouse game between von Trier and Jorgen Leth. Some of the obstructions lead to incredible results, although admittedly it would've been more interesting to see Leth truly break down. He's a bit too calm and collected.

Leth's abilities flower completely under the first set of obstructions making for a film that is better than his original prooving that sometimes it is only with limitations in place that an artist can perform to the best of their potential. Unfortunately the later efforts are less interesing, the film's structure is flawed (why aren't we shown all of the original The Perfect Human at the beggining?) and von Trier's smugness can be irritating.

This was a very interesting idea for a film. Have a director remake his short film five times with different rules for each. I have never seen the original "The Perfect Human" before. They show most, if not all of it but it is not shown in order so I cannot tell. It's an interesting short. And some of the obstructions create interesting films as well. I particularly liked the one in Cuba and the one in Brussels. Over all it was good but a little slow in parts and I didn't like the ending at all.

Any mental health professional would have a field day with von Trier. He's got all kinds of weird love/hate, student/mentor shit going on with Jorgen Leth. And of course that's what makes the movie so riveting. Probably my favorite thing that LVT has done.

If you think Lars von Trier's a SOB, watch him here, delighting in his own audacity as he sends his friend/mentor Jorgen Leth around the world to remake Leth's short "The Perfect Human" in various permutations. His enthusiasm is such that Leth's willingness to play along makes perfect sense. The results are great fun--bizarre animation, the coolest man in Cuba, and Leth eating a gourmet meal in the middle of Bombay's red-light district all factor in. Not deep, perhaps, but a great deal of fun.

Very self-indulgent.

I watched The Perfect Human on youtube in preperation for The Five Obstructions. I felt like I had a solid grasp on it. After watching the various interpretations here, I'm less sure.

Self-indulgent to be sure. But the filmmakers reveal, inadverdently or not that can be (or are perhaps too often) merely children learning how to act in public, and trying to make the world fit into some sort of sense-making frame.

This takes the Dogme95 ideas to the next level, allowing him to torment other directors the way he torments his actors. It's a fascinating examination of the filmmaking process, and how boundaries can affect the output. LVT isn't interested in getting a "good" movie, he pushes Leth to personally delve deeper into the meaning of his work. The one problem I had was that I felt the obstructions got progressively less interesting. Still, it's a brilliant idea, and one I'd love to see him try again.

Watching these two filmmakers in this sort of game is absolutely amazing, hypnotic and challenging. It really shows Von Trier's harsh methods of work in a brilliant way.

A lesson in filmmaking and the nature of art in film

The short films were great, but everything else was kind of tedious.

I enjoyed watching the movie and it was interesting to watch the concept play out. I feel like the real payoff happens when one takes the idea presented and thinks about the hypothetical or actual application to one's own or another's artistic practice, regardless of form or media.

22 Agustos 07 - cnbc-e

Cinematic challenge ..

Asks a lot of fascinating questions about filmmaking. It's great to see the way Von Trier tries to trap Leth, and then how Leth finds ways to weasel around him and still make a good short. The India clip is one of the most visually stunning pieces of film I've ever seen. Extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking movie.

Reality-show drama for arthouse geeks. It should prompt some interesting theoretical discussions on the nature of film, in addition to disbelieving belly laughs.

My favorite Lars von Trier film! Of course, Lars von Trier is my least favorite filmmaker of all time, so take that as you will!

Awesome idea for a film. I love the mindgames between the two directors and their quest to outdo one another. Their relationship is also very touching. You can tell von Trier really respects Jorgen Leth.

A really innovative idea that wasn't hopelessly squandered, thank god. Stayed engaging and interesting throughout.