Saw The Five Obstructions, an outrageously clever documentary that follows a series of five challenges that noted sadist Lars Von Trier gives to his friend, Jørgen Leth. Jørgen has created a short art-house film called The Perfect Human. Here it is:
Von Trier's challenges are designed to deconstruct this chilly little short. No more serious long takes - all edits must be 12 frames long. No actors, Jørgen himself must play the perfect human. No more abstraction, the film must show human suffering and need. It becomes a sort of game between Jørgen and Lars. Lars tries to find the one thing that Jørgen is using to express himself, Jørgen attempting to avoid compromising his integrity and vision.
Lars characterizes this as "therapy" to help Jørgen grow artistically, however Lars Von Trier is a cruel sort of man, and their relationship is quickly compared to Faust and Mephistopheles. Lars capriciously changes the rules and punishes Jørgen for slight transgressions, but always in an oh-so-clever, artistic way. At one point, Jørgen does not follow one of Lars' instructions so Lars, like a sulking child, says the next obstruction is no obstruction at all. Jørgen must remake the short film. Now Jørgen is forced to produce something derivative and compromised, but no: he re-imagines the short as a film noir. Brilliant!
This is a film where it probably helps to have seen a few Von Trier films and probably some of Jørgen Leth's work (I haven't however) to get a feel for the people involved. This is not a film for everyone, concerned as it is with the role of the director as both artist and subject of their own work, voyeuristic and yet also exposed. Like the caviar they eat after each successful obstruction, it has a strong flavor and an acquired taste. It is fascinating in all kinds of ways however, if only as commentary on the artistic process. The ending is absolutely perfect and reveals Von Trier's motivation for this exercise.
Not a delightful film, but a chilly, intellectual, fascinating one. I really enjoyed it.
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