The Five Obstructions (2003) review

Von Trier comes up with a Danish version of Punk'd: he has filmmaker and mentor Jørgen Leth 'remake' his film The Perfect Human several times with different rules and obstacles attached, all decided upon by von Trier himself. It's a buddy picture in the loosest sense - it's hinted at that Leth is depressed and that von Trier, a friend, concocted the scheme to get the creative juices flowing once again - but also a statement about the infinite possibilities of film and how countless external obstacles can affect the finished product (and how obstacles 'add' things to a picture the filmmaker had no intention would be beneficial in the beginning). It's a wonderful ode to the medium itself, and though it's sometimes draggy and a tad gimmicky, von Trier is at his most playful (as compared to when he is at his most despotic).