Reconversão, which is part of the Northwest Film Forum’s superb The Built World series, is about the work and theories of Eduardo Souto de Moura, a Portuguese architect who won the 2011 Pritzker Prize. The greatness of the documentary is found not just in the content (Moura’s buildings are just something else) but also in the fact that it’s narrated and directed by Thom Andersen—the film scholar and culture critic behind the long argument called Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003). The result of this encounter between two very different sensibilities (a European modernist and an American postmodernist) is one of the best films about architecture that has ever been made. What Andersen does is to present Moura without sounding academic or employing architectural language. The plainness of his English is like a window into the heart of a sophisticated artist. Do not miss the opportunity to watch this film. It’s really happening.
The local architect Gordon Walker is introducing the screening! Get a ticket while they are still available.
