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The themes of freedom and restriction, old and new, teacher and student all receive an invigorating investigation in a new film from Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth. Entitled The Five Obstructions, it's the result of a combative collaboration between von Trier and Leth, who was a former teacher of von Trier's. In late 2000, the pupil challenged his mentor to revisit an early short film of Leth's called "The Perfect Human." Leth would then have to remake that film five separate times, each time following certain rules laid down by von Trier. The exhilarating result opens this Friday at the Music Box theater.

Lars von Trier is well-known in arthouse circles for his intensely melodramatic films that often focus on the suffering of his female protagonists. Think of Breaking the Waves, Dancing in the Dark, and Dogville.  Jorgen Leth, on the other hand, is revered in his native Denmark but largely unknown here in the U.S. We quickly learn, though, that his approach is much different from von Trier's: more cerebral, more observational, less intense. We unfortunately never see all twelve minutes of "The Perfect Human," just clips of it here and there. But even those glances reveal Leth to be a formal master, as he uses black-and-white cinematography and a striking sound design to reel in his audience and make them watch the rather strange sight of a tuxedo-clad man dancing, eating, and falling in an empty room.

For the first remake, Lars sets down the following conditions: Leth has to remake his film with no set; he has to shoot in Cuba (where he has never been); he has to answer the rhetorical questions he raised in the original film; and, most deviously, no cut in the film can be longer than 12 frames. If you're not a film buff, that's only about half a second, a ridiculously short amount of time. At first, Jorgen is befuddled, but the result he comes up with is a marvel. He uses visual repetition and an infectious, rhythmic soundtrack to guide the viewer through this new short film. It is both a remake of the original work but also something exquisitely contemporary--taking a Euro-centric, modernist idea of a "perfect human" and transferring it into an earthier, Caribbean setting. It's an audacious transplant and one that will inspire any artist, filmmaker or otherwise. "The [requirement to use only] 12 frames was a gift," von Trier admits afterwards. "Yes, that's how I took them," Leth laughs.

It's fascinating how the obstructions von Trier raises inspire Leth to greater heights. They focus his energies, and his solutions are both inventive and telling. When von Trier assigns him the task of making a cartoon--a genre the two men loathe--he flies to Austin to meet Bob Sabiston, the man who helped Richard Linklater create _Waking Life_. Their collaboration is a beautiful marriage of _Waking Life_ and "The Perfect Human." Even von Trier, who relishes his combative persona, has to admit it's a gorgeous work.

It's clear, though, that Lars is somehow trying to get Leth to be more like von Trier--less controlled, more emotional. When he sends Leth to "a most miserable place," he hopes that Leth will break down in the face of human suffering and create a work that speaks to the human heart and not just the brain, to make the kind of movie von Trier directs. But Leth responds, "I believe strongly in waiting and observing," and the observer must keep his distance. This raises a fundamental issue for the artist--can we just sit back and record our observations in the face of so much need? Is art a great enough good to justify apparent inaction?

These questions are central to a critic's place as well. Many a time have I found myself arguing with my friend Garth over the political or social message of a particular movie. Garth consistently asserts that a work of art can only be judged by its own standards, its own aims, its own place in the artistic milieu, while I'm more inclined to investigate the work's unstated premises, its political, social, and moral assumptions. How you come down on that debate often determines both the kind of films you enjoy and what you have to say about them.

The only drawback of The Five Obstructions is that it ends with its weakest segment. Von Trier writes a letter that Jorgen supposedly wrote to Lars, and he has Jorgen read it. This voice-over is accompanied by clips of "The Perfect Human" and footage of Leth making the other "obstruction" films. It's a fiendish device. Leth will read "Dear, stupid Lars...you really thought you could obstruct me, didn't you?" But it wasn't Jorgen who wrote that; it was Lars putting words in Jorgen's mouth. The longer the letter goes on, the harder it is to follow. Is this some sort of wish-fulfillment on Von Trier's part, or is it his own assessment of the project? Or does he think this is what Leth might say if he were to have the last word? Of course, Von Trier isn't about to let anyone have the last word. Which is too bad, as I suspect Leth could've made a much more elegant finale.

Having said that, The Five Obstructions is an absolute must-see for anyone interested in cinema and its current state. Von Trier and Leth make a delightful tandem, challenging each other and laughing at each other's jokes. Even those who aren't as devoted to movies will find much to enjoy and ponder.  

J. Robert Parks  9/5/2004