In this incredible homage to inspirational filmmaking as Art, The Five Obstructions mimics reality TV at its finest, creating a Great Race for filmmakers. Lars von Trier holds legendary director Jorgen Leth’s artistic approach in the highest esteem, but he feels that he is often too clean, too objective. Acting as an artistic Machiavelli, von Trier challenges Leth to stretch his creativity to the limit by setting seemingly insurmountable and perverse restrictions on filming five re-creations of Leth’s seminal film, The Perfect Man. Charting every frustrated, exhilarated and inspired moment of the game as it develops, both von Trier and Leth use strategy to trip the other up. But, having knowingly undertaken a sort of film therapy with himself, Leth consistently delivers truly astounding work that is precisely to brief, and although humbled, von Trier is never completely satisfied.