Jacqueline Arenal

Miguel, a successful man, ends up in jail, unjustly accused of money laundering. His sentence completed, with empty pockets and nowhere to go, Miguel returns to his old neighborhood. There, he encounters his childhood friends, who continue playing futsal, never winning a match. Miguel decides to coach them, leading them to victory. On the way, he discovers the unexpected consequences of success.

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.

Like a Rossini film, Cuban-style, this evocative story follows a lost man, who finds passion again in Cuba, aided by music and the son he never met.