The Perfect Human | WATCH DOCS

In a seemingly neutral space, reminiscent of a sterile laboratory, an elegantly dressed couple performs simple activities in front of the camera: eating, undressing and dancing. Described as "perfect people," they become the object of detached, quasi-scientific observation. The ironic commentary of the narrator accompanying the image expresses a subtle critique of social ideas about "normality" and "perfection." "The Perfect Human" is not only a classic of the Danish avant-garde, but above all an intriguing and formally sophisticated study of contemporary man. More than half a century after its creation, the film became the starting point for the full-length project "The Five Obstructions” (2003), in which Jørgen Leth, at the invitation of Lars von Trier, reinterpreted his work in five different variants.  

Weronika Adamowska