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by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
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I get excited about independent films, mostly because I know that the people behind them, from the director to the actors to the guy serving lunch, are excited about what they are working on and are willing to be paid next to nothing to do it. If you keep an eye on these low-budget gems, many times you can see the next big star rising from nothing or the ambitious young filmmaker that will one day have the pick of any script in Hollywood because of the clout his or her name holds. It’s cool to see emerging talent join forces with veteran actors who are willing to take a massive pay cut because this is something they really believe in.
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The Architect is, unfortunately, the other side of indie cinema. It lacks in nearly every area, leaving me to wonder if any of the actors actually read the script or if they were so desperate for a quick buck they didn’t care how the movie would turn out. The Architect is available on DVD.
Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia) is a washed up architect who once designed a housing project for HUD in Chicago. Now, years later, the community has suffered due in part to the design of the buildings and residents are working toward having the complex torn down and replaced with more suitable living spaces. Activist Tonya Neeley (Viola Davis), a resident spear-heading the campaign, approaches Leo about signing a petition in support of the demolition. Leo refuses, in part because he thinks there is nothing wrong with his design, but mainly because he has enough drama to deal with at home. His wife Julia (Isabella Rossellini) is so unhappy with their marriage that she’s on the verge on a nervous breakdown. To make matters worse, both their son Martin (Sebastian Stan) and their daughter Christina (Hayden Panettiere) are going through personal crises that lead them to a teen prostitute (Paul James) and a surly truck driver (Walton Goggins) respectively. Meanwhile, Tonya’s campaign causes tension in her own home between her and her daughters Cammie (Serena Reeder) and Annette (Nikkole Salter).
Based on a play by Scottish playwright David Greig, The Architect was rewritten and directed by newcomer Matt Tauber. The script was altered to have the story take place in Chicago instead of Edinburgh. The activist’s role was also changed and expanded apparently to take advantage of Viola Davis’ substantial acting chops. The film was released in US theaters briefly in December. During its three week run the film only made about $12,000. The DVD release coincided with the theatrical release, an unconventional strategy that, in the end, did not pay off considering its abysmal sales rank on Amazon.com (this week it peaked at # 11,286).
The Architect DVD contains a handful of bonus features. First is an audio commentary track with Tauber. Next are a handful of deleted scenes that total around 8 minutes which can be played with or without audio commentary. Finally, a half-hour episode of the HDNET show High Definitions appears on the disc and features interviews with LaPaglia, Davis and Tauber. This featurette is insightful and entertaining, given the candidness of those in the hot seat, but the numerous commercial break transitions that accompany most of these shows-turned-supplements grows annoying, particularly since they happen so frequently here.
The performances in The Architect are fairly solid, particularly from younger actors Panettiere and Stan, who last year uttered some of the worst lines ever committed to film in The Covenant. Both excel in these challenging roles, uncovering talent that hasn’t really been seen before from these new faces. While performances are certainly worth a look, the film falls flat in the plot and character development area of things, most likely because it only has a running time of a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. The Architect dares to ask tough questions about race, sexual identity and economic justice but is only allotted enough time to graze each subject, leaving the viewer wondering what the point of the film actually was and what to do with what little we learned over the course of the last 82 minutes. We never really get to know or like any of the characters. Leo comes off arrogant, Julia seems totally nuts and Christina appears to be a teen whore with daddy and body issues. Is Martin gay? Is Tonya’s fight legitimate or a knee-jerk reaction to the death of her son? Their trials are presented to us but we are given few answers. Luckily, their personalities are so lacking in substance that the viewer won’t care either way.
It’s a shame really. Here is a film that has potential to start some serious dialogue but fails to take the risks necessary to get tongues wagging. As I mentioned, the acting is pretty great all around, but The Architect lacks in every other area. Like the buildings in question, this film needs to be torn down and rebuilt form the ground up.
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