The Five Obstructions (2003) on Netflix
NR20031h 30mDocumentary
Lars von Trier asks his friend and mentor Jørgen Leth to remake Leth's 1967 short The Perfect Human five times. Each remake must obey a new obstruction set by Trier.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.4/109,753 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
Jørgen Leth made The Perfect Human in 1967: a man and a woman sit in a box while a narrator asks questions about them. It is Lars von Trier's favorite film. Trier, who counts Leth as a friend and mentor, proposes a game to him. Leth will remake the short five times, and each version must obey a new obstruction that Trier sets. The first sends Leth to Cuba with no set, forbids any shot longer than twelve frames and requires him to answer the questions the original narrator posed. In the second, Leth must work in the worst place in the world without showing that place onscreen, take the role of the man himself and include the meal, but no woman.
Cast
- Daniel Hernandez Rodriguezas The Perfect Man (segment "Obstruction #1 - The Perfect Human: Cuba")
- Vivian Rosaas (segment "Cuba")
- Marie Dejaeras Maid (segment "The Perfect Human: Brunelles Brussels")
- Pascal Perezas Couple (Man) (segment "The Perfect Human: Brunelles Brussels")
- Meschell Perezas Couple (Woman) (segment "The Perfect Human: BrunellesBrussels")
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Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Five Obstructions (2003)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
The fifth and final obstruction in The Five Obstructions was a trick: Lars von Trier had already made the fifth version himself, but it had to be credited to Jørgen Leth, who read a voice-over written by Trier as if it were his own.- For the obstruction that required a cartoon remake, Jørgen Leth was helped by rotoscoping specialist Bob Sabiston, who created animated versions of shots from the previous films; the result is technically an animation but not a cartoon.
