My Architect: A Son's Journey (****)
review by Jon Waterman

Louis I. Kahn was a visionary. His architectural creations were more than just buildings; they were works of art. He took great care and pride in his designs. Unfortunately, he also took great care and pride in designing his lives. He had three of them. When he wasn’t burying himself in his work, he would spend time with one of his three families, while the other two sat idly by just a few miles away. The film tries to discover who Louis Kahn truly was.

The documentary is told through the eyes of his only son, Nathaniel, who was kept a secret. I had my doubts at first, thinking that family was too close to the subject and most likely not professional enough in terms of filmmaking to do a good job. However, I was proven wrong. The narration was a little dry, but he shows great talent in all other arenas. He is a great interviewer and extracts intriguing and amazing reactions from everyone. Honestly, every single interview is rock solid and insightful. He doesn’t just interview a couple people. We hear from famous architects, other family members, employees of Kahn’s company, people who hired him, people who hated him and people that work inside the buildings he created. The result is we get a picture of his father as fleshed out as can be within the movie’s timeframe.

Aside from interviewing, Nathaniel proves he knows how to make a great film. There are plenty of shots of his father’s buildings. He doesn’t just grab the highlights. Instead he shows how the whole building is a highlight. Whenever possible, he leaves the camera steady and does a time lapse to show the beauty in the structure at different times of day. They aren’t just eye-candy, either. Each one has a specific reason and added functionality that comes with the artistic side. There’s some great match action sequences and great coverage for a low-budget documentary shot on film. In addition to the original footage there is also a lot of archival material mixed in. We get to know Louis through interviews and seminars and news pieces made about him. It helps us to learn about Louis through his own eyes and how and why his mind worked differently from the rest.

The music that was used shows tribute and appreciation of Kahn without any hidden resentment. I think that theme carries throughout the film. It’s more about honoring the visionary, but also showing that not everyone is what he or she seems to be on the surface. The buildings may look fancy or interesting, but what you don’t see is the hard work needed to make it look so flawless. The film is all about perspective. As the title indicates (minus the secondary part), it’s about the man as everyone sees him. Many saw him as a genius. Some saw him as a penniless failure that died in debt. A few of them saw him as part of their family. No matter what you see him as, you should see him in this movie and make up your own mind.

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