De Fem Benspænd
***½/****
a film by Jørgen Leth & Lars von Trier
by Bill Chambers Jørgen Leth struck a self-described "Faustian" deal with half-insane auteur Lars von Trier to remake his own experimental short film The Perfect Human five times according to "ruinous" changes mandated by von Trier. But the mouse repeatedly outwitted the cat with an incapacity for anything but quality product: The first four of the titular "obstructions" are up there with, well, early Leth, and the venture teaches von Trier–who thrives on unforeseen obstacles and how they lead to personal dissatisfaction with his work–that you can't make crap on purpose. In the film's best sequence (though it doesn't involve the best obstruction, a version set in Cuba with shots that last twelve frames apiece), Leth and von Trier express their mutual loathing for cartoons, prompting the latter to send Leth to the Austin-based workshop of Waking Life co-director Bob Sabiston, where the pair concoct an animated rendition of The Perfect Human that only bears out Leth's artistic integrity. (No matter the medium, a true filmmaker won't begrudge his or her vision so long as reputations are at stake.) It'd be imprudent to spoil the nature of the fifth and final obstruction, but suffice it to say the final minutes of this fascinating, if specialized pseudo-documentary are as unexpectedly affecting as most von Trier productions, even if they confirm one's preconceived notion that von Trier is a terribly malicious softie. Programme: Real to Reel
