The Five Obstructions
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70% Critic Match

The Five Obstructions

7.0 / 10 2003 1h 30mNR Danish
Documentary

Storyline

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.

Cast & Crew

Jørgen Leth

Jørgen Leth

Voice-over (from Det perfekte menneske) / Self - Director / +

Lead
Lars von Trier

Lars von Trier

Self / Obstructor (segment "The Conversations")

Claus Nissen

Claus Nissen

The Perfect Man (from Det perfekte menneske) (archive footage)

MA

Majken Algren Nielsen

The Perfect Woman (from Det perfekte menneske) (archive footage)

DH

Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez

The Perfect Man (segment "Cuba")

Jacqueline Arenal

Jacqueline Arenal

The Perfect Woman (segment "Cuba")

VR

Vivian Rosa

(segment "Cuba")

Patrick Bauchau

Patrick Bauchau

The Perfect Man / Voice-over (Brussels) / Speaker (Cartoon)

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Jørgen Leth's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
3.0
Every frame feels alive. The Five Obstructions is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker