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The Five Obstructions

The Five Obstructions

2003
Drama, Documentary
1h 30m
Lars von Trier, true to form, has a bizarre way of showing his regard for mentor Jørgen Leth whose 1967 short film "The Perfect Human", he claims to have seen 20 times. Von Trier challenges Leth to remake the film following an increasingly difficult set of "obstructions".
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The Five Obstructions

2003
Drama, Documentary
1h 30m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 63.66% from 688 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(688)
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Rated 11 Jul 2007
5
96th
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.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
95th
A film which could not have been conceived by anyone other than Lars von Trier.
Rated 21 Apr 2008
92
94th
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.
Rated 15 Jun 2007
3
28th
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!
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
74th
One of my favorite films about the craft of filmmaking. Thoughtful, stark, hypnotic, intoxicating. A must for those interested in where the thought process behind "art cinema" leads directors.
Rated 08 May 2008
8
90th
An example of the power of film as an art, and how true artists can find a way to be creative and unique under any circumstances.
Rated 17 Oct 2010
70
65th
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".
Rated 12 Oct 2011
85
86th
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.
Rated 16 Jul 2014
73
78th
What's the connection between life, discipline and creativity? Von Trier's film makes a compelling case for the external imposition of rigid aesthetic standards, while also fashioning a playful tribute to one of his mentors. A unique experience.
Rated 24 Aug 2007
75
53rd
22 Agustos 07 - cnbc-e
Rated 14 May 2008
81
68th
A really engrossing game of one-upsmanship. I won't pretend to be smart enough to "figure out" the meaning behind the original "The Perfect Human", but I really enjoyed seeing this duel of personalities unfold, along with Leth's creative solutions to Trier's "obstructions". Possibly my favorite aspect: Trier's glum resignation that Leth was succeeding in making interesting films..."I would love for it to be crap."
Rated 08 Jan 2010
74
59th
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.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
70
71st
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.
Rated 08 Dec 2010
75
64th
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...
Rated 08 Jun 2011
84
81st
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.
Rated 23 Oct 2011
85
86th
A lesson in filmmaking and the nature of art in film
Rated 24 Jan 2012
80
90th
This is a cool little documentary film. I'd recommend this to anybody interested in the filmmaking process.
Rated 06 Dec 2015
89
92nd
I don't know that I agree with von Trier's purported motivations for the film, both in theory and execution, but the resulting film, and the insight into Leth's creative process it provides, is fascinating regardless. The discussions between the two, showing the malleable interpersonal dynamic where they take turns challenging each other, are great, a kind of Dinner with Andre focused on slightly sour filmmakers discussing their craft and trying to unravel each others motivations and feelings.
Rated 10 Jun 2020
85
84th
Manages to closely articulate the joust of mental warfare between two creative forces who happen to be great friends. This is really a deeply felt show of respect and love from LVT to one of his clear mentors.
Rated 24 Jul 2007
86
88th
A really innovative idea that wasn't hopelessly squandered, thank god. Stayed engaging and interesting throughout.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
87
89th
Reality-show drama for arthouse geeks. It should prompt some interesting theoretical discussions on the nature of film, in addition to disbelieving belly laughs.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
89
77th
Cinematic challenge ..
Rated 22 Oct 2009
92
96th
Whether von Trier really wanted to force Leth to make a bad film or not, the real lesson of the five experiments is that great filmmakers will find a way to make a great film no matter what obstacles present themselves.
Rated 27 Jun 2010
63
25th
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.
Rated 12 Sep 2010
60
49th
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.
Rated 14 Oct 2010
74
48th
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.
Rated 24 Oct 2010
35
90th
"The success of the film depends almost distressingly on the audience's cheeky sense of bad faith toward Lars Von Trier." - Eric Henderson
Rated 16 Aug 2011
83
89th
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.
Rated 27 Oct 2011
54
23rd
The short films were great, but everything else was kind of tedious.
Rated 03 Jan 2012
80
68th
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.
Rated 19 Jan 2012
84
67th
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.
Rated 16 Feb 2012
60
54th
Very self-indulgent.
Rated 20 Feb 2012
79
77th
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.
Rated 25 Jun 2012
79
70th
A lot of fun, with Von Trier gleefully playing the devil (a role which, no surprise, he's good at) and Leth as his indefatigably cheerful rival, who steps up and meets every challenge Von Trier can throw his way.
Rated 21 Jul 2013
75
75th
entertaining and different movie about the creative process.
Rated 01 Jul 2014
55
22nd
Leth's abilities flower completely under the first set of obstructions making for a film that is better than his original proving 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 interesting, the film's structure is flawed (why aren't we shown all of the original The Perfect Human at the beginning?) and von Trier's smugness can be irritating.
Rated 10 Jul 2015
80
72nd
A Tough challenge brought on by such minds
Rated 14 Oct 2018
63
64th
here, von trier isn't creative enough and leth is too uptight for the concept to completely take off. for all it does manage to reveal about filmmaking, it leaves a lot more to be desired.
Rated 02 Apr 2020
75
69th
This stuff is crack if your favorite genre is metafilms about filmmaking. I thought it'd be von Trier and Leth going back and forth with challenges but instead it's just von Trier bullying Leth the entire time, lmao.
Rated 27 Dec 2020
85
74th
A project between two creative geniuses that I wish was recorded/challenged more among others. Wonderful to watch.
Rated 05 Jan 2021
84
75th
Very unique and thought provoking experiment. I really liked the first film. The second one was also very good. The other 4 feel a bit forced but that's understandable. I wish I would have watched the original before watching this.
Rated 26 Apr 2023
92
92nd
Happy to report that The Five Obstructions is still great
Rated 19 Feb 2024
55
31st
This is very stimulating in how game-playing draws out the ethical and philosophical preoccupations of each filmmaker. There is a lack of resolution but the process is quite tense. All the same, an interesting experiment does not make a good film, and the game remains not much more than a game.

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