Mariel Capanna Film Series: Time Constraints—The Five Obstructions

Mariel Capanna imposes time constraints upon herself as part of her painting practice. In honor of Capanna’s public spaces installation, this series showcases films by directors who worked within time constraints.

The series continues with a showing of The Five Obstructions (2003). Lars von Trier has never been shy to burnish his reputation as the malevolent puppet master of his protagonists’ misfortune, but never quite so literally as in this playful documentary. One of the great films about filmmaking, The Five Obstructions is a reflexive marvel of cinematic problem solving. In 1967, Jørgen Leth made The Perfect Human, a short anthropological comedy, which became a favorite of the young Lars von Trier. Decades later, von Trier came to Leth with an offer he couldn't refuse: he would produce five remakes of Perfect Human, each to be directed by Leth according to von Trier's diktat. The heart and soul of the film comes in their interactions: they meet, review the previous effort, and lay down the rules for the next. Von Trier's ruthless instinct for his collaborator's soft spots may be sadistic, but it's vastly entertaining. When he really wants to punish Leth, he gives him complete freedom. (Run time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Free. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524. Details: clarkart.edu/events

Image: The Five Obstructions, Lars von Trier and Jørgen Leth, 2003

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