Architecton

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1:59

Architecton

G

Released Aug 1

1h 38m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

95%

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40 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 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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Critics Consensus

Elegantly constructed and visually striking, Architecton provides ample eye candy while leaving audiences with plenty to chew on.

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Christian Zilko

IndieWire

Every time a majestic shot of stone is juxtaposed against a pathetic excretion of wet concrete, it becomes clear that we’re permanently changing our planet’s ecosystem by cutting corners on the things we build.

Rated: B+

Aug 6, 2025

Full Review

Alison Willmore

New York Magazine/Vulture

Architecton comes across as a more plaintive depiction of our desire to imagine ourselves able to leave a lasting mark on this planet.

Aug 4, 2025

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

I’m not entirely convinced that returning to scenes of De Lucchi watching two men hammering stones into his lawn to form a “magic circle” offers the powerful statement Kossakovsky desires. But I appreciated the modest enterprise’s poetic implications.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 3, 2025

Full Review

Padaí Ó Maolchalann

In Review Online

Gentle and contemplative one moment, then vibrant and animated the next, enlivening its essentially motionless subject such that it develops an amiable, multifaceted character

Aug 8, 2025

Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

A hypnotic and lyrical look at the primary materials that make up modern-day habitats.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 7, 2025

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Alan Zilberman

Spectrum Culture

Many shots are long, uninterrupted takes of rocks in various configurations. But Kossakovsky is no geologist, studying his subject for scientific discovery, and instead regards them in a way to help us understand their awesome, humbling power.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 6, 2025

Full Review

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Volo

An epic meditation on the physical world and our tiny place in it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

Full Review

Daniel H

Dont think Ive been shook in this particular way by a film since seeing Koyaanisqatsi in my teens. See this on the biggest screen possible while you can.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

Full Review

TS

Concrete is my birthstone

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

Full Review

Mark

Stunning cinematography, score, and story. Took my breath away: I held my breath three or four times. The opening scenes of utter destruction of civilian housing in Ukraine is devastating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/25

Full Review

Grace B

Unbelievably, painfully slow and seems to have no point... it's mostly long beautiful shots of ancient ruins and heartbreaking modern disaster sites (like buildings destroyed after a hurricane or earthquake). The long shots of crumbling rocks often made me dizzy. All of that is interspersed with scenes of The Architect in his yard with two men digging a circle and putting rocks into the edge of the circle, and something about the circle is magic... I left after about an hour. What was the point???

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

Full Review

Caleb D

If you like watching rocks fall in slo motion for 2 hours and ominous boring sounds, this movie is for you.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

08/06/25

Full Review

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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

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Architecton: Trailer 1

1:59

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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
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2025
Runtime: 1h 38m

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