My Architect (2004)
89%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
7 wins & 6 nominations total
Nathaniel Kahn’s My Architect is a cinematic masterpiece that delves into the life and work of one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, Louis Kahn. The film is a poignant exploration of the complex relationship between a father and son, and the legacy that one leaves behind. Through stunning visuals and insightful interviews, Kahn takes us on a journey that is both personal and universal, as we witness the struggle to reconcile the man with the artist. My Architect is a triumph of storytelling, a work of art that will leave you moved, inspired, and in awe of the power of architecture to shape our lives.
My Architect is like a game of hide-and-seek, but instead of finding a person, you’re trying to find the essence of a man through his buildings. Nathaniel Kahn takes us on a journey to discover who his father, Louis Kahn, really was, and it’s a wild ride. From the stunning architecture to the scars left behind, this documentary is a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s like a puzzle that slowly comes together, and by the end, you feel like you’ve found a missing piece of yourself. Even if you’re not an architecture buff, My Architect is a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of family and the human spirit.
Production Company(ies)
Sidus C J Entertainment, Muhan Investment
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2003
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 2003 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2007
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Louis Kahn, architect, Nathaniel Kahn, Susan Rose Behr, Frank O Gehry, Philip Johnson, Priscilla Pattison, family, buildings, biography, history, legacy, design, construction, inspiration, creativity, art, culture, influence, success, failure, relationships, personal life, professional life, interviews, critics, reviews, box office, budget, MPAA rating, sound mix, aspect ratio, Dolby SR, surround, flat, wide release, streaming, theatrical release, audience score, Tomatometer, Fresh Kernels, film, movie, TV, podcast, news, trending
Worldwide gross: $2,920,081
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,733,077
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,193
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 516,148
US/Canada gross: $2,750,707
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,458,543
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,837
US/Canada opening weekend: $37,929
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $61,478
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,132
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Nathaniel Kahn – Self
Louis Kahn – Self
Philip Johnson – Self
Frank O. Gehry – Self
Priscilla Pattison – Aunt Posie
Director(s)
Nathaniel Kahn
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Susan Rose Behr
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
7 wins & 6 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (92) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (86) | Rotten (6)
The young Kahn is not a graceful filmmaker. Yet the subject matter is engrossing for anyone interested in architecture and also one of its greatest practitioners.
March 25, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Isn’t a bad place to begin if you’re curious about architecture and don’t know much about Louis Kahn.
March 19, 2004 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
By the end of My Architect, Kahn has learned that the central contradiction of his father’s life can’t be resolved — and that realization becomes the filmmaker’s solace and the film’s triumph.
March 19, 2004 | Rating: B+
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News
TOP CRITIC
The finest achievement of My Architect is the way the son locates the light of his father’s personality.
March 19, 2004
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
TOP CRITIC
Does Nathaniel finally find his father? If so, it’s neither to excuse nor to condemn him… but to do what he was unable properly to do at his father’s wake: say goodbye.
March 12, 2004 | Rating: B
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
It is a stunning work that captures with elegance — and touches of lyricism — the challenge of finding the man through the artist.
February 27, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Nathaniel Kahn’s My Architect is a poignant documentary about Nathaniel’s journey to make sense of his late father, influential architect Louis Kahn.
February 23, 2022
Jas Keimig
The Stranger (Seattle, WA)
Overall [Nathaniel Kahn’s] attempt to find his father in his buildings, scars and all, is credible and well-paced, with neat visual rhymes that circle back to points raised earlier.
June 3, 2008
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine
What makes this movie riveting is not its subject, but the huge hole evident in the biographer’s soul, a space he desperately tries to fill by speaking with those once close to his father.
May 2, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics
Fascinating — if somewhat overlong — documentary.
April 27, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
March 5, 2005 | Rating: 2/5
Ethan Alter
NYC Film Critic
October 7, 2004 | Rating: 9/10
Tony Medley
tonymedley.com…
Plot
World-famous architect Louis Kahn (Exeter Library, Salk Institute, Bangladeshi Capitol Building) had two illegitimate children with two different women outside of his marriage. Son Nathaniel always hoped that someday his father would come and live with him and his mother, but Kahn never left his wife. Instead, Kahn was found dead in a men’s room in Penn Station when Nathaniel was only 11. Nathaniel travels the world visitng his father’s buildings and haunts in this film, meeting his father’s contemporaries, colleagues, students, wives, and children.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with architects such as Frank O. Gehry and Philip Johnson, as well as members of Louis Kahn’s multiple families.
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