In this century, few
directors have provoked, shocked, and captivated audiences like Lars von Trier.
People who have watched Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, or Nymphomaniac:
Vol. 1 & 2 are very unlikely to forget these films whether they loved
or hated them. For a filmmaker who has specialized in crafting highly memorable
and, in some cases, indelible on-screen moments, Lars von Trier himself can’t
forget The Perfect Human, Jørgen Leth’s 1967 short film. The Five
Obstructions, the documentary that tracks von Trier’s disciplined efforts
to push Leth to re-examine and re-create The Perfect Human again and
again with new limitations, serves as a revealing and intimate look at
filmmaking, a portrait of an artist struggling against depression, and an
unorthodox lesson in the redemptive power of a friend’s love.
The Five Obstructions opens with von Trier and Leth sitting down to
watch The Perfect Human before they decide on restrictions for making a
new version of the film. As they begin to debrief the film and create
challenges for the next iteration, von Trier unleashes an almost wicked glee as
he conjures up seemingly absurd rules for the new film. By the end of the brief
meeting the two men agree that Leth’s next rendering of The Perfect Human
must contain edits no longer than twelve frames, take place in Cuba (a country
Leth had never visited before), answer the questions posed in the first
version, and use no sets. Leth, who was in his mid-sixties during filming,
staggers out of the initial meeting appearing stunned and befuddled at the
amount of work ahead of him. Von Trier, who was in his mid-forties as this all
transpired, counters Leth’s weary patience with a reassuringly firm confidence
in the process of this project. Despite von Trier’s self-described “satanic”
behavior in developing the successive courses of complications, the younger
director consistently demonstrates affection and respect for the man he calls
his “hero.” Upon returning from Cuba, Leth comes across as both rejuvenated and
proud of his solutions to von Trier’s invented problems. Both men watch The
Perfect Human: Cuba together and express how impressed they are with the
result, but feelings of contentment pass quickly as von Trier begins the work
of generating a new set of hurdles for Leth to clear for the next edition of The
Perfect Human. Yes, this process occurs four more times and each time, von
Trier’s motivation for engaging Leth in this endeavor becomes more apparent.
The dynamic between von Trier and Leth pushes deeply into a special brand of
pedantry. Once the pupil, von Trier reverses the student/teacher dynamic as he
nudges, admonishes, and goads his mentor. As the film progresses, von Trier and
Leth allow the audience sit in on a master class in which a former student
challenges his teacher to unlearn the considerable skills he has gained over a
lifetime in order to explore the still untapped potential within him.
A sense of love and a
spirit of experiential learning flow through all stages of The Five
Obstructions. I saw this film on the recommendation of a good friend who
stated, “You should watch this. It reminds me of your relationship with your
dad.” At first I was a little confused by the comparison, but it didn’t take
long for me to see connections. My father was a teacher and I grew up with him
telling me stories about an influential teacher from his youth. My father never
forgot the time this teacher, Gladys Metcalf, explained to him, “You’re an ‘A’
student doing ‘B’ work and that’s why you’re making a ‘C’ in this class.”
Society has developed many norms for guiding the young through their
development, but there are few templates for mentoring our mentors. Lars von
Trier reminds me of Gladys Metcalf in this film and reaffirms the value of
asking more from people who we trust are able to accomplish more. The Five
Obstructions rewards those who are familiar with von Trier’s feature films
as well as those who know nothing of his work by sharing a compelling story
about someone who won’t allow his friend and mentor to give up and fade away.
John Parsell
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