Hot Docs 2018: Our Review Of ‘Constructing Albert’

Hot Docs 2018: Our Review Of ‘Constructing Albert’

Constructing Albert tells the story of a master chef named Albert Adrià. Albert rose to prominence in the shadow of his world-renowned older brother Ferran. Together, the men began a culinary revolution. They had it all; their world-famous Catalonian restaurant elBulli, Michelin Stars, and the clout to staff their restaurants with the cream of the culinary crop. But Fatherhood has a way of pushing men to be better versions of themselves, so Albert stepped away from his comfortable role. Constructing Albert focuses on Albert’s return to the culinary world and his attempt to get out from under his famous brother’s shadow.

What’s most interesting about this movie is that Albert strives for something beyond success. He doesn’t want money and acclaim; he wants to push boundaries and challenge himself as an artist. To do so, he opens five wildly different restaurants that range from Japanese/Peruvian to Mexican. This would spread most chefs too thin, but Albert’s mind never stops churning out ideas for new dishes. The best part of the film is watching Albert constantly challenge himself to meet his own high expectations.

Constructing Albert has a cinematic look and feel. Some documentaries take a fly on the wall approach and frame boring shots from standard angles. When dealing with Michelin Star calibre restaurants you want the food captured with the precision of a Vanity Fair cover shoot. Co-directors Laura Collado and Jim Loomis’s dynamic camerawork keeps the onscreen action interesting and makes the food look glorious. Their excellent camera work and clever editing keep the story feeling snappy without any dull spots.

Unlike many documentaries, Constructing Albert tells a story with a beginning, middle, and an ending. It’s a light and fun watch with delectable imagery that will make you salivate. Don’t go watch this film hungry.

Constructing Albert showtimes:
Wednesday, May 02, 7:00 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox 01
Friday, May 04, 1:30 PM, TIFF Bell Lightbox 03
Saturday, May 05, 11:00 AM, TIFF Bell Lightbox 02

 

 

This post was written by
Victor Stiff is a Toronto-based freelance writer and pop culture curator. Victor currently contributes insights, criticisms, and reviews to several online publications where he has extended coverage to the Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs, Toronto After Dark, Toronto ComiCon, and Fan Expo Canada. Victor has a soft spot in his heart for Tim Burton movies and his two poorly behaved beagles (but not in that order).
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