A documentary biopic about the great Finnish architect and those without whom he might not have become one
Alvar Aalto is an architectural legend of the 20th century, the founder of human-centered Scandinavian modernism, and one of the most famous Finns in history. He designed the buildings of sanatoriums, hospitals, and institutes in his homeland, decorated the interiors of restaurants, built a library in Russia and a dormitory for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, and was responsible for the exterior of the UN headquarters’ conference hall. He also came up with a hand-grenade-shaped lamp, a wavy Savoy vase, and that very round stool with curved legs that IKEA still copies. Without any belittling of the architect's merits, the documentary biopic by Aalto’s compatriot Virpi Suutari, for the first time tells in so much detail that the Finnish genius did all this not by himself, but together with his wives and collaborators Aino and Elissa. Thoughtful and majestic, like the work of Aalto himself, this film is a real treasure trove of unique archival footage. Suutari alternates modern filming in Finnish-created buildings with a family chronicle: depicting the Aalto family boating with children, traveling to the USA, and working in the office of their joint architectural bureau Artek. "Aalto" sheds light on the previously unknown details of the relationship between Alvar and Aino: in fact, she was the one engaged in all the interiors and furniture creation and was present in the office more often, while the Maitre could wait long in his home office for inspiration to come and believed that the spouse should take care of the family in the first place. To some extent, Suutari's film restores justice, allowing coming to the fore for those who have for many years remained in the shadows of husbands, bosses, and other people's ambitions.
Original language: English, Finnish, Swedish, German, French, Italian Subtitles: Belarusian | English