Jorgen Leth had no idea of the monumental task that awaited him in the multiple remakes of The Perfect Human. The opening scenes of The Five Obstructions gave little hint to the novel approach to filmmaking that was to follow. When I first started watching the film, I had no idea what to expect. I knew absolutely nothing about the filmmakers. What was their style? I had never even heard of The Perfect Human. Would a film focused on the remaking of a movie five different ways be too repetitive? Could someone remake a film five times and have each movie be brilliant and still true to the original? Those were my questions. As the movie progressed, I became intrigued. However, it wasn't until after the film had ended, and I had had time to reflect, that I recognized its genius.
The relationship between directors Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth fascinated me from the instant the picture began. I was amazed that Lars would dare ask a man like Jorgen Leth to participate in a challenge of this nature, but I was even more shocked to learn that Jorgen was a willing participant, even if it was his pride that compelled him to commit. Jorgen was determined and confident that he could prove to Lars that no obstruction could stop him. To Jorgen, an obstruction was just another dimension of creativity added to his film, a way of forcing him to approach his most recognized movie from another angle. Not only did the obstructions inspire creative genius, they gave birth to a competition. Every time Jorgen succeeded with a remake of the film it was a victory that served as retaliation against Lars for daring to think Jorgen would fail.
Throughout the experiment, the obstructions were a clear point of contention. Every time Lars played god and handed Jorgen his list of obstructions, Jorgen was outraged, and rightfully so. Lars treated him like a child, which Jorgen was obviously unaccustomed to. It seemed as though Lars took pleasure in creating these obstructions that Jorgen hated. However, even when they had their differences, they always respected each other. In fact, I believe all of the obstructions actually strengthened their friendship. Lars was able to take Jorgen to a level of creativity that may never have been reached otherwise. I learned that obstructions are a powerful tool of inspiration. Not only can they be used in filmmaking, they can be used in other art forms such as writing, composing, and painting. The possibilities are limitless. To me, the most unusual and challenging obstruction in this film was in Cuba. I couldn't imagine a movie in which every shot was twelve frames or less, but Jorgen did, and it was brilliant. It was one of the most visually captivating short films I have ever seen.
It was said throughout the film that Lars' intention in this experiment was to help his friend Jorgen overcome some of his personal angst. On the other hand, it is possible that Lars' single desire was to crush all of Jorgen's creativity with obstructions, forcing him to make a less than perfect remake of The Perfect Human. I would like to imagine that it is the combination of both scenarios that contributed to the spectacular success of this directorial experiment. Jorgen was able to maneuver Lars' ridiculous obstructions, and I would like to believe that Lars did help Jorgen with some of his personal problems, although they were more emotional than cinematic.
After watching this movie, I was curious about it's mastermind. I discovered that throughout his career in film, Lars von Trier's work has been provocative, constantly pushing the limits in filmmaking. Just as his movie Dogville was daring, shot completely in studio with few props, so was this film. Nothing about this movie was normal, not even the process of filmmaking, but it was its originality that made it genius.
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