Written by Eric
May 05, 2010
To see two such talented artists lock horns like this in such a bizarre (and weirdly sadomasochistic) endeavor is a real treat.
As many actors who have worked with Lars von Trier have very publicly attested, the man is sadist. You can probably see that for yourself if you watch some of his movies, but in The Five Obstructions, this artistic sadism takes center stage. And this time, the corresponding masochist isn't a young, pretty woman (as in Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, and Dogville), but Danish filmmaker Jorgen Leth, whose 1967 short film The Perfect Human is remade five times with different restrictions and conditions decided upon by von Trier, usually based upon what will make Leth the most miserable.
It's a bold and bizarre experiment, and both men seem to approach it as a kind of game, although this is not to say they don't take it seriously. As von Trier lays down the rules, Leth spends a lot of time emitting nervous laughter, but he's up for it. The film opens as the two men meet in von Trier's office, von Trier compiles a list of restrictions for the first obstruction (including "no edit more than 12 frames long"), and sends him on his way. "You look good," comments von Trier as Leth enters his office several months later. "That's a bad sign."
But the restrictions go well beyond the technical. At one point, dissatisfied with Leth's latest offering, von Trier announces his verdict: "It's an amazing film. This is probably a better film than the one you would have made if you had followed my directions. But this is not the film I asked for. So you must be punished on the next obstruction." The punishment von Trier cooks up for Leth is pretty dreadful (I won't give it away), but Leth once again delivers a piece that is both beautiful and brilliant.
In fact, I found all five of Leth's remakes to be stunning. I've heard it said that creative artists thrive on limitations to their work, and this is obviously true in this case, although Leth doesn't appear to be having much fun some of the time. Over the course of The Five Obstructions, von Trier expresses two goals of this experiment: to force Leth to convey a sense of suffering that he feels has been missing from his previous work, and to force Leth to create "a pile of crap." I believe he succeeds on the first count. What is fascinating to see is the way Leth refuses to let him succeed on the second.
Ultimately, The Five Obstructions is a very valuable exploration of the creative process and a demonstration of the way inventiveness and ingenuity in the face of such "obstructions" can surprise us by leading us to create our best work. To see two such talented artists lock horns like this in such a bizarre (and weirdly sadomasochistic) endeavor is a real treat. Don't miss this one!
