Precise rules for each obstruction
- Obstruction 1:
- 12 frames
- The perfect man
- answers
- Cuba
- No set
- Obstruction 2:
- A miserable place
- Don’t show it
- Jordan Leth is the man
- The meal
- Obstruction 3:
Complete freedom or back to Bombay - Obstruction 4:
Cartoon - Obstruction 5:
- Lars Von Trier will make the last obstruction
- Jorgen Leth will be credited as director
- Jorgen Leth will read a text written by Lars Von Trier
Thoughts
Each obstruction results in a different interpretation of “The Perfect Human.” The obstructions imposed by von Trier force Leth to think outside the box. Jorgen Leth displays resilience and creativity when coping with different limitations. Take obstruction 2 as an example, he chooses to film in Bombay, but he intentionally avoids showing the misery from my perspective, instead focusing on a rich and colorful depiction of the city. Jorgen, as the perfect human in his film, sits in the red light zone, with a crowd separated by a transparent diaphragm behind him. The obstructions push Leth to challenge his own preconceptions and the boundaries of filmmaking, resulting in a fascinating and diverse body of work.
While watching “Five Obstructions,” I found that the power dynamics between the two filmmakers are interesting. How does Leth’s understanding of films evolve throughout the process? How do limitations and rules of creativity affect the artistic process and product?