THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS
aka DEFEM BENSPÆND

Year: 2003
UK: ICA Projects
Cast: Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier, Alexandra Vandernoot, Jacqueline Arenal, Patrick Bauchau, Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez, Claus Nissen, Majken Algren Nielsen, Vivian Rosa, Marie Dejaer, Pascal Perez, Meschell Perez, Bent Christensen, Anders Hove, Charlotte Sieling, Jan Nowicki, Stina Ekblad
Directors: Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier
Country: Denmark
Languages: English / Danish / French / Spanish (English subtitles)
UK: 91 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains moderate sex and one use of strong language
UK Release Date: 7 November 2003

Synopsis

A duel between great Danes Lars von Trier (BREAKING THE WAVES, DANCER IN THE DARK, DOGVILLE) and legendary Renaissance man Jørgen Leth. Director, producer, novelist, poet and television commentator Jorgen is also Honorary Danish Consul to Haiti where he now lives. Von Trier is famously one of the founding members of the influential Dogme95 film movement. Ha has named Leth as one of his major film influences.

In this film von Trier dares Leth to remake his seminal 1967 short documentary THE PERFECT HUMAN, a cocktail-chic tongue-in-cheek meditation on human behaviour that con Trier greatly admires. Leth is challenged to remake his film five times, limited by five conditions set by the perversely playful von Trier. Leth takes on these tasks, bravely soldiering on through having to render his work into cartoon form, film it in Cuba, again in India and other increasingly dirty tricks. A fascinating, visually stunning look at the human condition and the creativity it engenders