The Five Obstructions

The Five Obstructions finds legendary Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth undergoing a sort of filmmaker's therapy under the guidance of vanguard filmmaker Lars Von Trier (Dogville, Dogme95). In this captivating documentary, Lars forces Jørgen to remake one of his earliest short film, The Perfect Human, five times over.

Each time, Lars places one or more obstructions, or challenges, on the project, in an attempt to prod and provoke the elder filmmaker. Sometimes, it's an uncomfortable location, a new form, or even restricitions on how the film is to be shot or edited. The results? You'll have to watch and see, but it's worth the viewing. The original film is a captivating and amusing experimental film, with plenty of meat to explore in many variations.

Riveting to myself as a filmmaker, I will admit it will be of lesser interest to non-filmmakers. It insightful to see two accomplished filmmakers conversing, willingly subjecting themselves to the type of challenges we go through all the time. For them, it's therapy, a change of pace. To us, it's a way of life.