The Perfect Human

1968 "Look at him now, look at him all the time."
7.2| 0h13m| en| More Info
Released: 14 June 1968 Released
Producted By: Laterna Film
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

An elegant and humorous film—in the guise of a serious anthropological treatise—spotlights "The Perfect Human," a model of the modern Dane created by our wishful thinking.

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Reviews

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.
Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "The Perfect Human" is a 13-minute black-and-white film from almost 50 years ago. It is a Danish production by writer and director Jørgen Leth, so make sure you get subtitles. Or just do not watch it at all. I am fairly surprised this film is so famous. It shows us the perfect man and the perfect woman eating, undressing, lying in bed and just existing in general. However, I must say I never found it inspiring or funny, let alone the wrong statement that perfection exists in a general sense. Perfection is something different to everybody else. But maybe this is also what Leth is telling us by showing us in the end that the perfect man was apparently left by his girlfriend, so he wasn't perfect to her (anymore). Not a particularly interesting short movie. Not recommended.
TheDelusionist Shot in beautiful, bright, black & white, Jørgen Leth's The Perfect Man, although literally "the perfect human begin" (which makes more sense since there's also a woman in it) is one of the most perplexing and unique short films ever made. While short films are usually played for laughs or a punch line, Det perfekte menneske is more interested in aesthetics than making a point. The film doesn't have a narrative in a strict sense, but simply presents us with mundane activities and facts revolving around the perfect human being. Adding a layer of mystery and surreal, the perfect human himself directly addresses his audience telling us about a weird incident that happened to him. Although we don't get what he really means, at the end of the film he explains that we will understand "in a few days".While I'm not sure we can ever understand what it means; the film has an incredible staying power, especially if you like a good riddle à la David Lynch. Det perfekte menneske (I love how that sounds in Danish) is a good example of social commentary, without being pretentious or preachy. It presents us with "facts" and leaves the viewer the interpretation of a larger meaning, even though its author certainly had its own vision and ideas when he made the film. The tranquil and soothing clarinet music, helps creating a distinct atmosphere and puts you almost in the mindset of a "brainwashing" video. In fact the whole film is very clinical in its analysis of the perfect man. The director becomes like a doctor treating a patient, his character. The empty, white rooms, the minimalist set design and the bright lighting help creating the atmosphere of a hospital or even insane asylum, where the routines of everyday life are exposed for their meaninglessness.I first saw this short film in the context of Lars von Trier's Five Obstructions (2003) in which he challenges Jørgen Leth to remake his own film. Ever since watching that excellent documentary, I was occasionally reminded of this short film and felt the need to re-visit it. What I appreciate most about it is its simplicity. It is a stunning work of art and yet it's about nothing in particular. It manages to be entertaining without a plot. It is about everything – the whole human experience – while appearing to be about nothing, on the surface. It can be viewed in different cultural contexts and time frames, re-interpreted, discussed and quoted. I like to quote it, although I haven't met anyone that got the reference yet, but I have a great affinity for Danish humor. Growing up in a German-speaking area, I can see many similarities in the language and culture – I am always fascinated with the typically Scandinavian quirks.
alienmachine At first moment when I turned on this film, I didn't had any idea of what to expect, Even though I did heard about it (that's I watched it at the first place). But after I watched it, I was kinda stunned of the artistic visualization of this movie. It is beautiful, simply. Many people might not like it as many won't understand it, but if you can, Do watch this movie. It is a reflection of pressure from the society and others to a person for the idea of 'The Perfect Human', which is according to me, completely irrelevant. The ideas like 'The Perfect Human', 'The Idol Band', etc. are just sentences, and thus not an statement, ideas like this might be right for one, and wrong for the other. Your idea for the perfect life for a person, might not be right according to that person itself. This movie beautifully represents such statement for the 'The Perfect Human' part.
deliogul It is really easy. Just leave a small portion of your day to see this short film. The acting, the setting and the rather blurry theme are all great, works of a master. I learned about this one thanks to von Trier who sent Leth to a mission in order to remake this film. You can have a look at "Five Obstructions" for more details about that project and I highly recommend you the part which takes place in Cuba.Whatever, I found the original "Perfect Human" on internet and watched it. Then I watched it once again. In a timeless and "in-the-limits-of-simplicity" setting, the viewer sees a master class art. You will question what ordinary people accept as "perfect" for mankind and how this average view lacks detail and more than detail, the dark sides of the model. If you go after such a model, you will see "how the perfect human falls".