The Five Obstructions (2003)
A self-conscious examination of filmmaking, borrowing from the Dogme95 movement the concept that limitations are necessary for creativity. Lars von Trier’s first full feature documentary attempts to bring a distanced humanity into the fore, and lay bare the creative process which tends to become completely obscured by the aesthetic result.
The key is a fiendish role reversal of mentor and protégé. Lars Von Trier challenges documentarist Jorgen Leth into using his own insistence upon rules against himself and remake his 1967 short “The Perfect Human” five times, each time imposing a different set of limitations. The result? By the end, it is unclear where exactly the obstruction lies. The creative spirit persists and triumphs without reliance on externalities.
Ultimately a film about communication between friends and fellow artists, Leth and von Trier each take a deeper look at the evolution and adaptation of the work of art and the meta-stability of subjectivity.
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Grading
- Story NA
- Acting NA
- Visuals B+
- Originality/Innovation A-
- Enjoyability B+
- Overall B+
- DVD Extras B
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