Architecton

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1:59

Architecton

G

In Theaters Fri Aug 1

1h 38m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

94%

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18 Reviews

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0 Ratings

From filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Gunda, Aquarela) comes an epic, intimate and poetic meditation on architecture and how the design and construction of buildings from the ancient past reveal our destruction — and offer hope for survival and a way forward. Centering on a landscape project by the Italian architect Michele de Lucci, Kossakovsky uses the circle to reflect on the rise and fall of civilizations, capturing breathtaking imagery from the temple ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon, dating back to AD 60, to the recent destruction of cities in Turkey following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in early 2023. Rocks and stone connect the disparate societies, from ghostly monoliths stuck in the earth to tragic heaps of concrete rubble waiting to be hauled off and repurposed anew. Through Kossakovsky’s inquisitive lens, the grandeur and folly of humanity and its precarious relationship with nature posits the urgent question: How do we build, and how can we build better, before it’s too late?

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Victor Kossakovsky

Director

Michele De Lucchi

Self

Victor Kossakovsky

Writer

Heino Deckert

Producer

Adriana Banta

Executive Producer

Ben Cotner

Executive Producer

Jacob Oller

AV Club

As Kossakovsky’s contemplative images envelop the vision and spark the mind, his film mines profundity from beneath our feet.

Rated: B+

Jul 28, 2025

Full Review

William Repass

Slant Magazine

There’s a radical materialism at the foundation of Architecton, reinforcing the notion that objects, in the properties that derive from their structure, exert a subtle yet powerful agency.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 28, 2025

Full Review

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

... There’s much ASMR pleasure to be gleaned from the ambient long shots of machinery layering up long, perfect lines of concrete for some upcoming blight on the landscape.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 18, 2025

Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

Avery slow-burning, breathtaking and visually poetic, but tedious documentary.

Jul 29, 2025

Full Review

Alan French

Sunshine State Cineplex

In the process of exploring earth, rock, and concrete, Kossakovsky explores the ways that humanity has drastically altered the world.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 12, 2025

Full Review

David Parkinson

Radio Times

Much here, however, testifies to the shortcomings of humanity.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 21, 2025

Full Review

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Synopsis

From filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (Gunda, Aquarela) comes an epic, intimate and poetic meditation on architecture and how the design and construction of buildings from the ancient past reveal our destruction — and offer hope for survival and a way forward. Centering on a landscape project by the Italian architect Michele de Lucci, Kossakovsky uses the circle to reflect on the rise and fall of civilizations, capturing breathtaking imagery from the temple ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon, dating back to AD 60, to the recent destruction of cities in Turkey following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in early 2023. Rocks and stone connect the disparate societies, from ghostly monoliths stuck in the earth to tragic heaps of concrete rubble waiting to be hauled off and repurposed anew. Through Kossakovsky’s inquisitive lens, the grandeur and folly of humanity and its precarious relationship with nature posits the urgent question: How do we build, and how can we build better, before it’s too late?

Director: Victor Kossakovsky
Producer: Heino Deckert
Screenwriter: Victor Kossakovsky, Victor Kossakovsky
Distributor: A24
Production Co: ZDF Arte, Ma.Ja.De Filmproduktion, Les Films du Balibari, Point du jour, Hailstone Films
Rating: G
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 38m