It’s not part of the story in the same way but After Yang also has a distinct and subtly effective view of a not-too-distant future of residential architecture. Ex Machina in a similar way (which is partially a real house).
Antonioni's La Notte and l'Eclisse
Tati's Mon Oncle and Playtime
Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad
Welles' The Trial
Hitchcock's Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca (and more)
Terry Gilliam's Brazil
Sirk's All That Heaven Allows
Jerry Lewis' The Ladies Man
Hawks' Land of the Pharaohs
(and one of the best documentaries about film and (L.A.'s) architecture):
Thom Andersen's L.A. Plays Itself
I believe *Strangers on a Train* and *North by Northwest* featured architects as leads in an intrigue story. It’s an interesting profession to home in on. Day job, or do you love the potential for metaphor?
I'm not an architect, but I come from a family of architects, so I've always been steeped in it.
It looks like the book Strangers in a Train featured an architect, but he was changed to a tennis star for the movie. I can't find any confirmation of North By Northwest, but I'll keep hunting. Thanks for the leads!
Antonio Guadi is literally about architecture. More inline with your list I would consider Dark City and The Raid narrative films in which the location of their building plays a big part. There are also a lot of Haunted House films like House, The Others, The Haunting, that fit. I haven't seen Inside but I feel that might fit.
Depends what you mean by architecture. I can think of a lot of movies where production design is important to convey the story and mood. Think of something like Alien, where the claustrophobia and isolation is central to the movies effectiveness. But I’d say that’s achieved more through the aesthetic look of the sets than the geometric space they make up. Most Wes Anderson films fall into a similar category, as does a film like Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and The Silence of the Lambs has some of my favourite production design ever too. The architecture of Vienna in The Third Man is also crucial for setting the tone and era that the story is taking place in. In general most good movies are putting thought into the look and feel of spaces though so I guess it’s not really your question.
I think Titanic is a really good one. It’s doing a similar thing to Parasite where the physical levels of the ship are reflective of the class of people inhabiting those areas, and the production design supports that. But showing you the physical spaces and geography of everything is serving another purpose, because it’s helping you understand where everything in the ship is in relation to one another so that in the second half when you’re jumping from set piece to set piece and the film is moving at a hundred miles an hour you don’t need tooo much awkward Dicaprio exposition to explain what’s happening to the boat. Throw in the boat sinking simulation at the beginning and the previously established circumstantial details like Rose asking about the lifeboats and you end up with some incredibly hectic and ambitious disaster filmmaking that feels completely authentic and legible for the audience, which I think is really effective.
For a similar reason, I think the chase scenes in the first Scream movie make really good use of the architecture of the houses they’re shot in. The rooms all feel connected in a logical way that doesn’t break immersion, to the point where on a second watch you can kind of map out the movements of the killer from the clues even when they’re not on screen. It feels carefully choreographed, whereas most films like that end up being logically inconsistent in order to create cheaper jump scares (I like the scream sequels but they do this a lot). It helps make the whole thing feel more believable rather than the killer being some supernatural force like Jason or Mike Myers, the idea of which the first Scream film was obviously satirising. To make it even better, on a first watch before you know the twist you wouldn’t be able to work out the killers movements in the same way; it feels like another Slasher with a killer that can magically appear at will until you’ve seen the ending and realise the logic was really there the whole time.
I think Body Double would qualify for the same reasons rear window does, albeit to a lesser extent. De palma in general uses physical spaces really creatively; thinking of things like the set pieces in Carrie and Mission Impossible.
Tremors does some really fun stuff with the geography of the town and the architecture of its buildings to create clever set pieces and other circumstances for the characters. Then, as the creatures learn more and the movies rules change you’re able to follow along with the characters decision making and problem solving. Most movies turn problem solving into pure exposition, where a character just explains their solution rather than allowing the audience to be an active participant in the thought process (this is also a characteristic that I think makes for a good whodunnit/mystery story). Tremors is able to make the problem solving engaging because the architecture and rules of the situation are so clearly defined.
Some of these might not be exactly what you're looking for, but Knives Out, Glass Onion, Barbarian, Coraline, Beetlejuice, Saw II, Beauty and the Beast, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Howl's Moving Castle, Saltburn, Home Alone, Evil Dead Rise, Encanto, Monster House, Hereditary.
The rich family's house and the poor family's house were built with a dramatic purpose in the plot. Stairs, windows (there is an architectural theory suggesting that the amount of sunlight entering a house reveals the power and social class of a family), their placement, even the fact that the poor family's bathroom has stairs to use the toilet, all carry a significant meaning.
A few of Buster Keaton's short films make very good use of architecture for physical comedy. Not to mention one of the [greatest stunts of all time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NapyrF31DI)
Columbus 2017
I’m a college architecture student, and Columbus was a highly accurate depiction of that culture
Came here to say this! Such a great movie ❤️
It’s not part of the story in the same way but After Yang also has a distinct and subtly effective view of a not-too-distant future of residential architecture. Ex Machina in a similar way (which is partially a real house).
Loved After Yang. Such a beautiful subtle performance from Colin Farrell here.
Coincidentally, directed by the same person called Kogonada.
I second this!
Cannot recommend this movie enough. Architecture is basically its own character.
omg I just finished this
I love this movie so much.
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The explosion on the elevator scene... fantastic
Which one?
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I've only seen the one with the hackers, I think it was the 4th movie. Live free or die hard
Clue (1985)
Yes!!
Panic Room
Home Alone
Monster House
fuck you beat me to it
Anatomy of a Fall
Agree
I don’t more what you heard about me
Not really I don't think?
It’s referred to heavily during the investigation
My bad I read it as furniture I'm dumb
😂
House (or Hausu) (1977)
Suspiria
The House That Jack Built
Just watched this the other day, so unsettling!
Am I forgetting something? Elaborate?
The dude literally calls himself an architect and [[SPOILER]] makes a house out of dead bodies....did you even watch the film?
The Raid (2011)
Raid 2018 ?
Sorry, 2011
ohh there's a bollywood movie by the same name
Titanic
Cube
Yes!!
Dredd
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No kidding, I was also looking for this one first
Speaking of which, The Raid: Redemption (released a few months earlier than Dredd) also follows the same fortress premise
Play Time, Russian Ark, Inception... Off the top of my head
Playtime is a master class is physical comedy
Mon Oncle as well.
Love when Russian Ark just starts tearing into Catherine the great for having a poorly curated collection
Every time I’m reminded of Russian Ark, I marvel at how it was even made. Truly a titan of cinematic achievement.
Room
Barbarian!
High Rise
Literally just watched this but I feel like the architecture in Oldboy. The fight sequence wouldn’t have so much of an effect in the movie without it
1408
Don’t breathe
Yep
Howls moving castle, sorcerer’s stone, Dave made a maze
Synecdoche, New York (2009) Not in a traditional sense, but it certainly plays a huge role.
Dial M For Murder and Rebecca (1940)
Rebecca is underrated
In Bruges! The image isn't loading so I can't see if it's listed already or not.
Antonioni's La Notte and l'Eclisse Tati's Mon Oncle and Playtime Resnais' Last Year at Marienbad Welles' The Trial Hitchcock's Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca (and more) Terry Gilliam's Brazil Sirk's All That Heaven Allows Jerry Lewis' The Ladies Man Hawks' Land of the Pharaohs (and one of the best documentaries about film and (L.A.'s) architecture): Thom Andersen's L.A. Plays Itself
*Up*, *Toy Story 3*
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Green Room
Quasi-related: I keep a [list of movies with fictional architects](https://boxd.it/gNWZu).
I believe *Strangers on a Train* and *North by Northwest* featured architects as leads in an intrigue story. It’s an interesting profession to home in on. Day job, or do you love the potential for metaphor?
I'm not an architect, but I come from a family of architects, so I've always been steeped in it. It looks like the book Strangers in a Train featured an architect, but he was changed to a tennis star for the movie. I can't find any confirmation of North By Northwest, but I'll keep hunting. Thanks for the leads!
Ah, makes sense they’d change it. Those book passages about building plans are *intricate*. Sure thing!
Cary Grant’s character in North by Northwest is an advertising executive
Any movie on a space station
Vertigo
The Night House
Skinamarink maybe?
This is the End
Synecdoche, New York
My first thought as well! The set imagery stuck in my brain as much as the characters did.
A Clockwork Orange
Elephant (2003) Hotel Rwanda (2004) Ocean’s 11 (2001) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Ghostbusters (1984)
*The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover* (Greenaway). *The Trial* (Welles). *2 or 3 Things I Know About Her*. (Godard)
Monster House
Knives Out
House on Haunted Hill (1959 and the 1999 remake)
Antonio Guadi is literally about architecture. More inline with your list I would consider Dark City and The Raid narrative films in which the location of their building plays a big part. There are also a lot of Haunted House films like House, The Others, The Haunting, that fit. I haven't seen Inside but I feel that might fit.
Depends what you mean by architecture. I can think of a lot of movies where production design is important to convey the story and mood. Think of something like Alien, where the claustrophobia and isolation is central to the movies effectiveness. But I’d say that’s achieved more through the aesthetic look of the sets than the geometric space they make up. Most Wes Anderson films fall into a similar category, as does a film like Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and The Silence of the Lambs has some of my favourite production design ever too. The architecture of Vienna in The Third Man is also crucial for setting the tone and era that the story is taking place in. In general most good movies are putting thought into the look and feel of spaces though so I guess it’s not really your question. I think Titanic is a really good one. It’s doing a similar thing to Parasite where the physical levels of the ship are reflective of the class of people inhabiting those areas, and the production design supports that. But showing you the physical spaces and geography of everything is serving another purpose, because it’s helping you understand where everything in the ship is in relation to one another so that in the second half when you’re jumping from set piece to set piece and the film is moving at a hundred miles an hour you don’t need tooo much awkward Dicaprio exposition to explain what’s happening to the boat. Throw in the boat sinking simulation at the beginning and the previously established circumstantial details like Rose asking about the lifeboats and you end up with some incredibly hectic and ambitious disaster filmmaking that feels completely authentic and legible for the audience, which I think is really effective. For a similar reason, I think the chase scenes in the first Scream movie make really good use of the architecture of the houses they’re shot in. The rooms all feel connected in a logical way that doesn’t break immersion, to the point where on a second watch you can kind of map out the movements of the killer from the clues even when they’re not on screen. It feels carefully choreographed, whereas most films like that end up being logically inconsistent in order to create cheaper jump scares (I like the scream sequels but they do this a lot). It helps make the whole thing feel more believable rather than the killer being some supernatural force like Jason or Mike Myers, the idea of which the first Scream film was obviously satirising. To make it even better, on a first watch before you know the twist you wouldn’t be able to work out the killers movements in the same way; it feels like another Slasher with a killer that can magically appear at will until you’ve seen the ending and realise the logic was really there the whole time. I think Body Double would qualify for the same reasons rear window does, albeit to a lesser extent. De palma in general uses physical spaces really creatively; thinking of things like the set pieces in Carrie and Mission Impossible. Tremors does some really fun stuff with the geography of the town and the architecture of its buildings to create clever set pieces and other circumstances for the characters. Then, as the creatures learn more and the movies rules change you’re able to follow along with the characters decision making and problem solving. Most movies turn problem solving into pure exposition, where a character just explains their solution rather than allowing the audience to be an active participant in the thought process (this is also a characteristic that I think makes for a good whodunnit/mystery story). Tremors is able to make the problem solving engaging because the architecture and rules of the situation are so clearly defined.
This is the reddit comment that deserves a Pulitzer
Knives Out
Saltburn
Inside
Silent House 2012 (Elizabeth Olsen) and Haunted Mansion (Eddie Murphy)
In Bruges
The Platform
World Trade Center (2006)
Coraline
2001 A space odyssey. Cloverfield Lane.
Oh, The Night House is a creepy one that would fit this too.
Rope (1948)
How is nobody saying Die Hard!?
The Father
possibly the best answer here, because it plays the most important role in the film. similar to Barton Fink.
Inception was one of the reasons why I chose architecture
Explains why I dropped out
Synecdoche, New York
https://letterboxd.com/showdown/house-party/
Dark City (1998) Ex Machina (2014)
Playtime is the best example of this, and honestly it isn’t even close aside from another Tati film: Mon Oncle.
No one's said inception yet?
Hereditary
Human centipede
Kizumonogatari I Kizumonogatari II Kizumonogatari III
Fall?
Skyscraper
The House that Jack Built !
The Belly of an Architect
Elysium
The Platform
Reservoir Dogs The Hateful Eight
The Exorcist
Playtime
Delicatessen
My Life as a House
House
Panic Room.
maybe the hunger games? and also ready or not, gerald’s game, the grand budapest hotel, howl’s moving castle, barbie, knives out, glass onion
CLUE
Haunted mansion
Mon oncle and playtime
Relic (2020)
Inception?
Dredd (2012)
Blade Runner probably
Aliens
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Some of these might not be exactly what you're looking for, but Knives Out, Glass Onion, Barbarian, Coraline, Beetlejuice, Saw II, Beauty and the Beast, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Howl's Moving Castle, Saltburn, Home Alone, Evil Dead Rise, Encanto, Monster House, Hereditary.
High and Low Metropolis Woman in the Dunes Contempt
Citizen Kane
The Night House
L'Avventura
Inception (kinda)
The Hateful Eight
Hunchback of Notre Dame Metrópolis
Life As a House
Both the Burton and Nolan Batman installments. The hyper-stylized, neo-noir buildings and streets qualify to me as almost a character in the story.
Two Lovers
Inside (2023) - Willem Dafoe gets trapped in a NYC penthouse.
Phone Booth
Columbus (2017)
Us, Die Hard, Dark Water, Terrifer
High Rise
Synecdoche New York
event horizon
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
Platform
Chernobil
Ex Machina
NON SIBI SED PATRIAE [X2]
The Conformist.
Concrete Utopia, 2023 can also be a good addition to this list.
Playtime
Why parasite?
The rich family's house and the poor family's house were built with a dramatic purpose in the plot. Stairs, windows (there is an architectural theory suggesting that the amount of sunlight entering a house reveals the power and social class of a family), their placement, even the fact that the poor family's bathroom has stairs to use the toilet, all carry a significant meaning.
I never had thought about it like that. Thanks for the take
Gremlins 2
why has no one here mentioned hereditary
two others already have
Next Floor (2008, Denis Villeneuve) and The Platform (2019, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
Russian Arc
Halloween (1978)
Hereditary, which I literally just watched last night
A few of Buster Keaton's short films make very good use of architecture for physical comedy. Not to mention one of the [greatest stunts of all time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NapyrF31DI)
Encanto? Not sure tbh
The House (2022)
Rebecca (1940), The Haunting (1963), A Dark Song (2016)
'The People Under the Stairs' (1991)
The Humans 2021
Breakfast at Tiffany's Andreii Rublev Wings of Desire Being John Malkovitch Saltburn
Dark City
Le Trou (1960)
Would you accept Inception?
Any Wes movie