5 Films About Architecture & Design Worth Seeing

I’ve loved movies for as long as I can remember.

The best films entertain us, of course, but they also do something more important: they help us see the world through someone else’s eyes. They challenge assumptions, spark conversations, and reveal truths about ourselves that we might otherwise miss.

That’s one reason I believe film is such an important part of the human experience. Stories help us make sense of our lives. They deepen our empathy.

They remind us that every person—and every profession—has its own struggles, aspirations, compromises, and moments of triumph.

Hollywood Isn’t Fasciated by Architects

Those of you in healthcare and senior living design spend your days thinking about people and places. You explore how the built environment can improve health and well-being, the human experience, and operational performance.

Yet when was the last time you watched a film about an architect or designer?

Hollywood has given us countless doctors, lawyers, detectives, and superheroes. Architects and designers rarely get top billing.

The few films that do exist, however, offer reminders and insights about creativity, leadership, innovation, resilience, and the often messy process of turning vision into reality.

If you haven’t already seen them, here are five films (in no particular order) to add to your watch list.

1. My Architect (2003)

If you’ve ever wrestled with the tension between professional ambition and personal life, My Architect will resonate.

Filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn sets out to understand his father, legendary architect Louis Kahn, whose work includes the Salk Institute and some of the most admired buildings of the 20th century.

The film explores not only Kahn’s extraordinary design legacy but also the human cost of that legacy. It’s a reminder that behind every celebrated project is a person navigating competing demands, imperfect choices, and complex relationships.

For healthcare design professionals, it also offers a powerful lesson about lasting impact. Decades after their completion, Kahn’s buildings continue to shape how people experience light, space, and community.

2. The Fountainhead (1949)

Based on Ayn Rand’s novel, the film follows architect Howard Roark (Gary Cooper) as he battles clients, critics, and convention in pursuit of his artistic vision.

The architecture is dramatic. The dialogue is dramatic. The philosophy is very dramatic.

Whether you find Roark inspiring or insufferable, the film raises enduring questions about creativity, compromise, and what happens when a designer refuses to bend.

The film’s message may not align with modern healthcare architecture and design practice, where collaboration is essential, but the questions remain surprisingly timely.

3. Columbus (2017)

Set among the extraordinary modernist buildings of Columbus, Indiana, this beautifully crafted film tells the story of two strangers, Casey (Haiey Lu Richardson) and Jin (John Cho), navigating grief, responsibility, and uncertain futures.

The architecture is stunning, but what makes the film interesting from a design standpoint is the way buildings become part of the emotional landscape. The spaces don’t simply frame the story—they help tell it.

And this is the only film on this list that’s about a woman architect–or at least a woman who wants to be one.

4. The Brutalist (2024)

Every design professional has encountered the gap between aspiration and reality.

The Brutalist explores that tension through the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian architect rebuilding his life and career in postwar America.

The film tackles issues familiar to many design professionals: client relationships, financial constraints, artistic vision, resilience, and the challenge of creating meaningful work in a complex world.

It’s also a reminder that great buildings don’t emerge from perfect circumstances. They emerge from persistence.

5. Frank Lloyd Wright (1998)

While not technically a film, Ken Burns’ two-part PBS documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright remains one of the best explorations of architectural innovation ever filmed.

Wright understood something hospital and health system leaders and senior living owners are increasingly recognizing today: buildings are not simply containers for activity. They shape experience.

His work challenged conventional thinking about light, nature, materials, and the relationship between people and their surroundings—ideas that continue to influence healthcare and senior living design decades later.

Why These Films Matter

At first glance, these films may seem far removed from healthcare design or senior living.

But each explores a question central to your work: How do the environments you create affect human lives?

And as we know, the best healthcare environments do more than support clinical care or patient and resident experiences. They reduce stress, foster connection, improve well-being, support staff, and help people navigate some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

These films remind us that great design has always been about more than buildings.

It’s about people.

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