The Architect (film)
Encyclopedia
The Architect is an American 2006 film directed by Matt Tauber in which architect
Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia
) is confronted by angry residents of a housing complex he designed. The buildings have created a culture of crime in the neighborhood and the residents want them pulled down.
) is a bored housewife who spends her time tending to the luxurious modern house he has designed for them; their son Martin drops out of college, and has no interest in taking up his father's dream of also becoming an architect; their daughter Christina has entered her mid-teens, and her father has started staring at her maturing body in an unfatherly way.
Tonya Neely (Viola Davis
) is a black community organizer
who lives in the high-rise public housing Leo designed several years before. Her own son committed suicide, her eldest daughter just sits at home all day while her youngest daughter has managed to get a scholarship at a fancy school in a middle-class neighborhood where she lives with a wealthy black family, and feels ashamed of her background and even her own mother. Many of the residents in the housing block want the projects razed, but the local gangs are content to control the blocks where they sell drugs. One day Tonja turns up at one of the lectures Leo gives at the local university school of architecture - where he comes across as a jaded teacher - to confront him over his work and to ask him to sign her petition calling for their demolition. He initially defends his own work, but later comes up with his own idea of how to improve the housing blocks by the addition of glass and artworks. Tonya arrives at his house to see the scheme but is appalled at his approach, especially as he has not even bothered to visit the area to see how it has failed. His wife turns to support Tonya.
Martin had been sitting in the lecture hall when Tanja confronted his father and becomes intrigued enough to visit the area, and begins a friendship with a black boy, Shawn, who turns out to be a gay prostitute, and who initially thinks Shawn has come to the area to pick up men. They end up having sex, anyway. In the meantime, Christina has realised that her own father has started looking at her maturing body too closely: she wishes to escape his overbearing control yet also seek affirmation of her own maturity, for which she puts herself at risk by going to a bar, getting picked up first by a young student but then ditching him for a lorry driver to whom she offers to have sex, but which he refuses. Things come to a head when Julia announces that she is leaving Leo. He goes to the housing block and meets Tonya; he agrees to sign her petition, but she informs him that the authorities have already agree to demolish them. Leo walks to the roof of the block where he unexpectedly bump into his own son.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Leo Waters (Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony LaPaglia
Anthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
) is confronted by angry residents of a housing complex he designed. The buildings have created a culture of crime in the neighborhood and the residents want them pulled down.
Plot
Architect Leo Waters' life is in trouble and in order to have some sense of control he attempts to laud over the other members of his family. His career appears to be going nowhere; his wife Julia (Isabella RosselliniIsabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
) is a bored housewife who spends her time tending to the luxurious modern house he has designed for them; their son Martin drops out of college, and has no interest in taking up his father's dream of also becoming an architect; their daughter Christina has entered her mid-teens, and her father has started staring at her maturing body in an unfatherly way.
Tonya Neely (Viola Davis
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
) is a black community organizer
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
who lives in the high-rise public housing Leo designed several years before. Her own son committed suicide, her eldest daughter just sits at home all day while her youngest daughter has managed to get a scholarship at a fancy school in a middle-class neighborhood where she lives with a wealthy black family, and feels ashamed of her background and even her own mother. Many of the residents in the housing block want the projects razed, but the local gangs are content to control the blocks where they sell drugs. One day Tonja turns up at one of the lectures Leo gives at the local university school of architecture - where he comes across as a jaded teacher - to confront him over his work and to ask him to sign her petition calling for their demolition. He initially defends his own work, but later comes up with his own idea of how to improve the housing blocks by the addition of glass and artworks. Tonya arrives at his house to see the scheme but is appalled at his approach, especially as he has not even bothered to visit the area to see how it has failed. His wife turns to support Tonya.
Martin had been sitting in the lecture hall when Tanja confronted his father and becomes intrigued enough to visit the area, and begins a friendship with a black boy, Shawn, who turns out to be a gay prostitute, and who initially thinks Shawn has come to the area to pick up men. They end up having sex, anyway. In the meantime, Christina has realised that her own father has started looking at her maturing body too closely: she wishes to escape his overbearing control yet also seek affirmation of her own maturity, for which she puts herself at risk by going to a bar, getting picked up first by a young student but then ditching him for a lorry driver to whom she offers to have sex, but which he refuses. Things come to a head when Julia announces that she is leaving Leo. He goes to the housing block and meets Tonya; he agrees to sign her petition, but she informs him that the authorities have already agree to demolish them. Leo walks to the roof of the block where he unexpectedly bump into his own son.
Cast
- Anthony LaPagliaAnthony LaPagliaAnthony M. LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as FBI agent Jack Malone on the American TV series Without a Trace, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
as Leo Waters - Viola DavisViola DavisViola Davis is an American actress.Known primarily as a stage actress, Davis won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play and a Drama Desk Award for her role in King Hedley II . She won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her role in the...
as Tonya Neely - Isabella RosselliniIsabella RosselliniIsabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
as Julia Waters - Hayden PanettiereHayden PanettiereHayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
as Christina Waters - Sebastian StanSebastian StanSebastian Stan is a Romanian-born American actor. He is best known for playing Prince Jack Benjamin on the television drama Kings and Carter Baizen on Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
as Martin Waters - Paul JamesPaul James (actor)Paul James is an American actor. He may be best known for his role on the ABC Family television show Greek as Calvin. He also starred in the movie The Architect. James attended the theater program at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland where he participated in a variety of musical theater...
as Shawn - Serena Reeder as Cammie Neely
- Walton GogginsWalton GogginsWalton Sanders Goggins, Jr. is an American actor best known for his roles on the FX Networks series The Shield and Justified, portraying Detective Shane Vendrell and Boyd Crowder, respectively. He is also known for his character roles in the films Miracle at St. Anna and Predators...
as Joe