Educational Media Reviews Online

Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation is a solid introduction to Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished architectural masterpiece, la Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona. After providing a brief overview of Gaudi’s aesthetic ideas and his life, the film focuses on the artists who have carried on the cathedral’s construction following Gaudi’s death. Because most of Gaudi’s models and plans were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, these builders and sculptors have had to grapple with their own mysterious creative processes in bringing this astounding vision into existence.

The film makes great use of archival photographs to show the building’s slow development, while beautifully filmed contemporary images create a contemplative experience for the viewer. However, the film’s overall pacing feels uneven. One has a sense that the director could not decide between making a historical look at Sagrada Familia and a more spiritual work (broadly defined). While such deeper themes are certainly relevant for a film about a sacred space, their inclusion might limit the film’s use in classes on architecture or design. Art history faculty accustomed to discussing the religious contexts of artworks will be less put off by this approach.

The film provides much of its informational content through a voice-over delivered in the dry British English reminiscent of classic documentaries. I found this calming authorial voice to be a refreshing change from the reality television modes that have besieged the documentary genre; younger viewers might instead feel there’s a soporific quality to this slow, deliberate narration. As a final note, the film only provides subtitles for the interview material, making the narrative content impenetrable for students with accessibility needs.