Even those who dismiss Von Trier as a talented sadist might reconsider after seeing this revealing and ultimately poignant documentary.
Comment
05/27/04
The Five Obstructions (2004)
89
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:50
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Both an intriguing intellectual exercise and an amusing look at the contrasts between the two filmmakers.
Theatrical Release:May 26, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: With THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director... [More]
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Reviews for The Five Obstructions
Funny, ornery, and ultimately inspiring.
05/27/04
Leth leaves the viewer both exhilarated and maybe even optimistic about the capacity of human intelligence and creativity.
05/27/04
Top CriticTo see how Leth discovers ways to use the devilish obstructions to his advantage is nothing short of thrilling.
05/27/04
The Five Obstructions may do little to win over von Tier detractors - who find his films, like these obstructions, too intellectually schematic.
05/26/04
Watching The Five Obstructions is at once like witnessing two chess masters playing dominoes and like spying on a series of therapy sessions.
05/26/04
Top CriticAn essay on art as a matter of solving problems posed by a capricious deity -- that is, an exposé of von Trier's own method, both of making a movie and directing actors.
05/25/04
Top CriticIn trying to goad Leth to ... 'liberate' himself by making crap, von Trier has instead given his friend a global stage as a highly creative and assured filmmaker.
05/23/04
Leth is hypnotically unstoppable.
05/20/04
Top CriticAlthough The Five Obstructions occasionally seems like an exercise in artistic wankery, It’s amazing to see how Leth rises to the challenge each time.
05/08/04
The success of the film depends almost distressingly on the audience’s cheeky sense of bad faith toward Lars Von Trier.
04/23/04
Hardly conventional entertainment, but seeing what happens next provides much of the fun in this far-from-academic exercise.
03/26/04
Becomes most interesting when we see how a veteran filmmaker reacts to gauntlets thrown down by a star student, and meets those challenges.
03/26/04
Leth has created works as beautiful and moving as any art I’ve seen in recent years.
03/15/04
An unforgivable piece of cynical self-indulgence.
03/13/04
A pretentious vanity project.
03/10/04
If you have a desire to one day challenge the camera yourself, I'd strongly advise studying this film intensely. Good filmmakers come and go, but the great ones hide in Haiti.
03/03/04
An amusing look at idol worship and a refreshing foray into the nuts and bolts of making films, and the creativity that sets the best ones apart.
01/17/04
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01/15/04
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01/13/04
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