Ada: My Mother the Architect (2024)

-Written by Kyle Bain. 

Ada: My Mother the Architect follows, well…Ada Karmi Melamede, a renowned architect as she discusses her successes, failures, and more with her contemporaries and her own daughter. This documentary looks to showcase Ada’s life as an incredibly influential architect, and the mark that she’s left on those around her. 

I appreciate the way in which Ada: My Mother the Architect is framed. Not in the sense of the film’s structure, but in the literal sense, the way in which the film is split into frames, the way in which Ada is repeatedly seen as one half of the screen and her dialogue as the other. As if piecing together a puzzle, Ada is presented in pieces–allowing her to remain prominently featured throughout the film, strengthening her presence and reminding viewers, again and again, her relevance and the reasoning behind Director Yael Melamede’s decision to take on this film. 

The instances of politics and social commentary inserted into Ada: My Mother the Architect seem to detract from the overarching story, that Ada is a mastermind, and more importantly, an inspiration. There are some not-so-subtle comments regarding politics that seem to serve no real purpose in the grand scheme of Ada: My Mother the Architect, and allowing them to remain present in the film feels like an oversight, or just a poor decision on behalf of Melamede. 

However, with that being said, Ada: My Mother the Architect tends to focus primarily on Ada, rather than regularly shifting into political waters. Much of the film then showcases Ada’s successes, failures, etc., but is structured in a way that is ultimately boring. Pure discussion is how information is shared with viewers, and the pacing of the film and discussions being held throughout become tiresome. It wasn’t long into the film when I began to drift from the screen, struggling to remain focused. 

Ada: My Mother the Architect is another example of a filmmaker wanting to showcase the talents of a parent or another loved one, but not considering the fact that the subject matter doesn’t warrant a feature-length film. Ada: My Mother the Architect thrives on the fact that Ada seems to be an incredible person, and that her existence has inspired many over the years–but the world didn’t need an hour-and-forty minutes to understand this. Again, like many documentaries that have come before it, Ada: My Mother the Architect fails to entertain the way in which Melamede certainly would have hoped. 

While the subject, Ada, certainly possesses something that warrants some attention, but not at this length. Ada: My Mother the Architect is aesthetically pleasing, and Melamede uses her prowess and understanding of filmmaking to create something effective in this regard, but the bias that she holds in regard to her mother causes her to make ineffective decisions, negatively affecting the final product. 

Directed by Yael Melamede. 

Starring Moshe Safdie, Doron Almog, Sharon Harari, Frank Gehry, Ronnie Alroy, Ada Karmi Melamede, Yael Melamede, Doug Suisman, etc. 

6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE