The Five Obstructions (2003)

A truly unclassifiable film from one of cinema's most unpredictable talents, The Five Obstructions is actually one of Danish director Lars von Trier's milder provocations. The movie's launching point is The Perfect Human, a 1967 short by veteran director Jørgen Leth. Von Trier instructs Leth to remake the movie several times, each time with a new set of arbitrary restrictions aimed at limiting the director's creativity. The results run the gamut from the bracing ("Perfect Human: Cuba") to the banal ("Perfect Human: Brussels"). Von Trier's exercise offers an intriguing look into the artistic process, particularly how limitation can be an inspirational force. Not surprisingly, "Perfect Human: Brussels" is the worst of Leth's variations, having been made under no restrictions from von Trier. More valuable than The Five Obstructions' meditation on creativity, however, is the unusual insight the movie provides into von Trier himself. Playing the puckish devil throughout, he reveals himself to be as manipulative and sadistic as his punishing movies tip him to be. Just as Leth puts man under a microscope in his chilly original, so does von Trier subject his idol Leth to withering scrutiny. By the end, he concedes that he has failed to break down Leth -- that it is Leth, in fact, who has obstructed him. If there is such a thing as a lacerating tribute, this is it. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide