A24's latest documentary 'Architecton,' directed by Victor Kossakovsky, opened in theaters across the United States on August 1st, 2025, following its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival last year. The film presents a profound examination of construction materials, particularly concrete, and their material and political implications through the perspectives of architects, quarry workers, and the remnants of both ancient and modern structures.
Italian architect Michele De Lucchi plays a central role throughout the largely silent documentary. The film captures his deliberate, measured movements as he sketches and carefully arranges stones in his garden near Milan. Cinematographer Ben Bernhard, a longtime collaborator of director Kossakovsky, guides the camera on a journey that spans from war-damaged apartment buildings in Ukraine to earthquake-damaged structures in Turkey, and extends to the historic stone quarries of Baalbek, Lebanon.
The documentary establishes its contemplative and sobering tone from the opening sequence, which features sweeping drone footage over bombed buildings. The camera reveals walls torn open to expose hollowed interiors, while a banner reading 'Kick Russia Out of Ukraine' flutters prominently on a building facade. Though the film avoids explicit political commentary, its imagery meticulously documents the extensive damage and destruction.
Kossakovsky, the Russian director, focuses his lens on absence and void. The camera lingers on missing walls and crushed concrete that reveal exposed stairwells and empty living rooms, creating a powerful visual narrative of loss and destruction. Similar scenes from Turkey echo these voids, though in this case, they result from natural disasters rather than warfare. The film draws striking observational contrasts between newer concrete-framed buildings that lie completely flattened and nearby ancient stone structures that remain standing upright. These powerful contrasts are carefully woven into the texture of the film's editing and sophisticated sound design.
Between the scenes of destruction that permeate the documentary, viewers witness architect Michele De Lucchi methodically assembling a circle of stones in his Milanese garden. This simple yet profound act of creation unfolds slowly and deliberately, creating a stark contrast to the speed and violence of the demolition scenes shown elsewhere. This gentle gesture becomes the film's only genuine construction sequence, serving as a counterpoint to the destruction documented throughout.
The documentary also introduces viewers to Abdul Nabi al-Afi, the dedicated caretaker of the Baalbek quarry, and artist Nick Steur, who is renowned for his ephemeral stone balancing works. Their appearances reinforce the director's deep interest in exploring how humans interact with and handle stone, whether through careful preservation, delicate balance, or explosive blasting techniques.
One of the most visually striking and symbolically important moments in 'Architecton' features crushed rock suspended in midair, creating a detailed visual metaphor for material caught on the brink of transformation. This imagery powerfully represents the film's central themes about the lifecycle of construction materials.
Despite its ambitious global scope, spanning multiple continents and cultures, the film remains remarkably spare in dialogue. The emotional weight of the documentary is carried primarily through the evocative music composed by Evgueni Galperine and the immersive sound design created by Aleksandr Dudarev. Throughout the film, the sounds of machines, explosions, and wind often communicate more powerfully than human voices.
When Michele De Lucchi's reflections do appear in the film, they are characteristically brief and quietly spoken. He offers thoughtful commentary on architecture's complicity in environmental degradation and resource depletion, themes that resonate throughout the documentary's exploration of construction's impact on the world.
The film serves as a meditation on both building and unbuilding, documenting these processes with a careful eye toward their long-term consequences and environmental impact. For architects, designers, and anyone interested in the built environment, 'Architecton' offers a timely and important meditation on the afterlife of structures and the significant material and environmental costs associated with new construction.
Through its contemplative pacing and powerful imagery, the documentary challenges viewers to consider the true cost of our built environment and the materials we use to create it, while honoring both the destructive and creative forces that shape our world.
