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The Five Obstructions
Directed by
Jørgen Leth
,
Lars von Trier
Not Rated
2003
90m
Documentary
,
Drama
7.4
88%
84%
Add to Watchlist
Filmmaker Lars Von Trier challenges Jørgen Leth, the filmmaker behind The Perfect Human (1967), to remake his classic short under circumstances of increasing constraint.
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Where to Watch The Five Obstructions
Hoopla
Free
MUBI
Subscription
MUBI Amazon Channel
Subscription
Cast of The Five Obstructions
Claus Nissen
The Perfect Man (from Det perfekte menneske) (archive footage)
Majken Algren Nielsen
The Perfect Woman (from Det perfekte menneske) (archive footage)
Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez
The Perfect Man (segment "Cuba")
Jacqueline Arenal
The Perfect Woman (segment "Cuba")
Vivian Rosa
(segment "Cuba")
Jørgen Leth
Voice-over (from Det perfekte menneske) / Self - Director / + / Director / Writer
Patrick Bauchau
The Perfect Man / Voice-over (Brussels) / Speaker (Cartoon)
Alexandra Vandernoot
The Perfect Woman (segment "Brussels")
Marie Dejaer
Maid (segment "Brussels")
Pascal Perez
Couple (Man) (segment "Brussels")
Meschell Perez
Couple (Woman) (segment "Brussels")
Bent Christensen
Gangster (from Det gode og det onde) (segment "Cartoon")
Anders Hove
Naked Man (from Notater om kærligheden) ( segment "Cartoon")
Charlotte Sieling
Naked Woman (from Notater om kærligheden) ( segment "Cartoon")
Jan Nowicki
Man with Jacket (from Notater om kærligheden) ( segment Cartoon)
Stina Ekblad
Woman with Money (from Notater om kærligheden) (segment Cartoon)
Lars von Trier
Self / Obstructor (segment "The Conversations") / Director
Bob Sabiston
Self (segment "The Perfect Human: Cartoon") (uncredited)
Asger Leth
Writer
Carsten Holst
Producer
Anders Jacobsen
Producer
The Five Obstructions Ratings & Reviews
Spanktacular
July 18, 2025
It's like watching two old friends nerd out really hard about the art of film, but in the best way possible.
In These Times
Joshua Rothkopf
Von Trier's antic documentary The Five Obstructions...comically reveals the Dogmatist at his torturous worst while tapping into appealing depths of insecurity he's never allowed himself.
The Dissolve
Noel Murray
[...]The reason The Five Obstructions lingers as an essential part of von Trier's filmography [...] is because it reveals so much about why von Trier has worked the way he has in the past [...]
Image
Jeffrey Overstreet
Von Trier is rejuvenating his mentor's imagination. He's also reminding him that art can 'catch the conscience' of the audience and the artist.
Lessons of Darkness
Nick Schager
Fascinating (and oft-times infuriating).
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Riveting.
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
A film like this has a limited audience, I suppose, but for that audience it offers a rare fascination.
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
It's amusing only if you agree not to think very much about it.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bob Longino
For those who treasure not only watching the intricate challenges of filmmaking but also feeling the thrill of tomfoolery and sharing the demonic joy of psychological twists, Obstructions is enthralling.
Seattle Times
John Hartl
The relationship between the two filmmakers raises it above the category of academic experiment. Von Trier brings a diabolical glee to his role, and Leth matches it with an older, wiser brand of mischief.
The Hollywood Reporter
Frank Scheck
In this enjoyable if trivial battle between von Trier's psychodrama theatricality and Leth's cool formalism, it's ultimately the viewer who comes out the winner.
Boston Globe
Wesley Morris
Part of what hooks you to this movie is how Leth outsmarts his taskmaster, and how the two men have divergent, almost incompatible aesthetic ideals.
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
In only 90 minutes it encourages you to reexamine the nature of cinema, the sources of creativity, the unexpected joys of the unanticipated moment. And it couldn't be more fun to watch.
Observer
Andrew Sarris
A special auteurist treat that's easier to enjoy than to describe or categorize.
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
A movie that's so eager and playful and inspired that it made me a von Trier believer again.
Newsday
John Anderson
Leth leaves the viewer both exhilarated and maybe even optimistic about the capacity of human intelligence and creativity.
New York Times
A.O. Scott
Watching The Five Obstructions is at once like witnessing two chess masters playing dominoes and like spying on a series of therapy sessions.
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
An essay on art as a matter of solving problems posed by a capricious deity -- that is, an expos of von Trier's own method, both of making a movie and directing actors.
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
Leth is hypnotically unstoppable.
Slant Magazine
Eric Henderson
The success of the film depends almost distressingly on the audience's cheeky sense of bad faith toward Lars Von Trier.
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