Films & Architecture: "Oscar Niemeyer - Life is a Breath of Air"

Written by Daniel Portilla
Published on December 07, 2012

By now, there’s no architect in the world unaware of Oscar Niemeyer’s passing, or the legacy he left over his 104 years.

In honor of the greatest Brazilian architect of our time, we invite you to enjoy this interesting documentary, which shows how Neimeyer’s work, which changed the paradigm of architecture and went beyond any stereotype, was just as unique as his noble perspective on life.

MAIN INFO

Original title: A Vida É Um Sopro Year: 2005 Runtime: 89 min. Country: Brazil Director: Fabiano Maciel Writer: Adam Horowitz, Richard Jefferies, Edward Kitsis, Historia original de Brian Klugman, Steven Lisberger, Lee Sternthal Cast: Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Le Corbusier, Lúcio Costa, Carlos Heitor Cony

PLOT

This feature film establishes a parallel between the life and work of the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who lived over a century of history.

Can you tell the story of a people through their architecture? If so, then the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer and other architects of his generation represented the best of Brazil. An architecture with soul itself, inspired by the geography of Brazil, Niemeyer’s works would influence architects worldwide.

Niemeyer – Life is a Breath of Air is a film that, without claiming to be groundbreaking or brilliant as the character who serves as its theme, uses the clarity of its lines and poetic forms to (re) construct the story of the greatest icon of Brazilian Modern Architecture, a man whose story is inextricably linked to a century of change. The documentary shows how Niemeyer revolutionized Modern Architecture with the introduction of the curved line and the exploration of new ways to use reinforced concrete. Niemeyer also speaks about his life, his ideal of a just society and metaphysical questions, such as the insignificance of man in the Universe.