2022 Entry #027 02-09-22 “The Architect” is a 2006 American drama film which was written and directed by Matt Tauber & based on the 1996 play by David Greig.
The film is a bit of a mixed bag and seems to lack focus but it has an amazing cast which includes: Viola Davis (“The Substance of Fire”, “Far From Heaven”, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Isabella Rossellini (“Heights”, “Closet Monster”, “Vita and Virginia”), Walton Goggins (“Red Dirt”), Anthony LaPaglia (“Autumn in New York”), Hayden Panettiere (“The Object of My Affection”, “Ally McBeal”, “Normal”), Paul James (“Greek”, “Torchwood”, “Shameless”) and a very young Sebastian Stan (“Black Swan”, “Gossip Girl”, “Avengers: Endgame”).
The gay elements are somewhat muddled, but feature James’s Shawn, a smart gay teenager living in a crime infested Chicago neighborhood, in a building designed by LaPaglia’s Leo Waters, the title character. Through six degrees of separation, Leo’s son Martin (played by Stan) crosses paths with Shawn and the two have a revelatory if devastating series of interactions that results in Martin’s growth and Shawn’s death (by suicide). This storyline could have been better, but it also could have been worse. The storyline is one of several strands, most of which feel underdeveloped and an expansion of this storyline could have explored the relationship between the two characters in greater depth and provided more insight into why Shawn ends his life and what this means for Martin. Yet if this was the only story being told it would likely be extremely depressing and possibly offensive. But as it is, Shawn’s death is used to mirror the death of another boy (who doesn’t appear in the film) and manages to resonate in that capacity, providing the film with the focus that it often seems to lack. In the end, while these moments aren’t always set up for success by the rest of the film, they also manage to make the best of a clearly flawed and seemingly aimless narrative.