The 5 obstructions: A- (Subtitled) (Audio: various) Jørgen Leth, Lars von trier
This is a documentary about director Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the dark) challenging his idol, director Jørgen Leth (Dreamers), to remake a short film he made in the 60's five times. The catch is that Trier sets forth a series of obstacles and rules that Jørgen must follow for each attempt. (No cuts over 12 frames long, the sequence must be animated, film without sets, etc..). What you end up with is 5 totally different films, each visually stunning, that all tell the same story but in radically different ways. I never found the "Remakes" repetitive because each one was so new and creative and it's great to watch Leth try to work with the restrictions and stay true to the source without creating a jumbled mess. Sometimes got a little slow when the two talked shop, also Von Trier is an ass. This isn't as much a look "behind the camera" as it is a quick glimpse into the mind of Leth. Some beautiful cinematography and a great look at a truly original filmmaker.

Yeah, I pretty much agree with your summary. It was a mighty weird movie!

After i saw your review i head over to blockbuster to rent it. I thought it was good, i had never seen something like this. Though now as i think about it Lars is not an ass. He is a very good friend trying to help his friend in his depression.

Thanks for the review that let me watch this great film.