“Humans form the scale,” relates the late Finnish architect Alvar Aalto in an archival interview. “I cannot turn humans into giants or dwarves. I have to conform to human dimensions”. So was the philosophy of one the key figures in 20th century modernist architecture. It is rather odd then that a documentary ostensibly about a humanist architect feels so…dehumanizing.
Directed by veteran Finnish documentarian Virpi Suutari, Aalto chronicles Alvar’s beginnings as a student of Nordic Classicism, through his 1930s shift into a more utilitarian modernism, and a post-war spurt of experimentation before a late career move to city planning that ultimately clashed with the direction of a newer generation. He married twice along the way, his first wife Aino Aalto proving particularly influential to the architect’s work, often adding the more minute human touches to her husband’s grand visions.
It only struck me once the credits had rolled that I had seen an entire feature-length film with barely any talking humans on screen, save a couple short archival news clips. All the interviews and reenactments arrive in the form of droning disembodied voices which combined with what sounds like your mom’s yoga playlist, has all the energy of a Ben Stein bedtime story. There’s just no lasting sense of who most of these people are and how they relate to the film’s subject. Despite the doc’s best attempts to provide an insight into an influential figure and artist who had left his mark on structures all over the globe, I felt more disconnected to him than I had before the film even began.
The film’s highlights lie in lovingly rendered via majestic tracking and drone shots inside and out of Aalto’s various buildings. If nothing else, you’ll be left with a breathless appreciation for the man’s vision and attention to detail (including his wife’s contributions). That being said, these sections are often presented empty with nary a soul present, disregarding the very humans we’re constantly told Aalto kept at the forefront of his design process.
If you’ve never heard of Alver Aalto, you may be best served by watching the trailer for this film, then wash it down with the subject’s wikipedia article. If the only reason to see Aalto lies in its eye-catching renderings of his life’s work, then perhaps we should simply wait for the tie-in coffee table book.
3.5/10
Aalto screens as part of a virtual DOXA from May 6 – 17