a frustrating documentary . louis kahn son and who saw his father only minimally during his childhood because he be a member of just one of the three separate family his father have create and take on the task of try to learn more about his father through an exploration of his architecture and his life . it sound like a great idea for a documentary and but it end up flat and uninteresting . sadly and the basic problem be that kahn son and nathaniel and be not just one of the film protagonist he be also director and writer and producer and interviewer and narrator . nathaniel seem both too inexperienced and possibly too close to the material to function well in any of these role . far and while he seem like a nice enough guy and he doesn not have much screen presence and so the fact that he be the only constant in the film become wear . nathaniel also come across a an unprepared and amateurish interviewer there be several point where an interviewee make an interesting or provocative statement and the camera cut to a shot of nathaniel offer little more than a blank stare and a sort of timid uh huh and a if he a little panicked that he go to have to come up with something to say in response . at time and i felt embarrassed watch people who might have have truly interesting thing to say about kahn ( or at least good thing to do with their time ) seem to realize that they be in the hand of an interviewer who be go to rely on them to direct the conversation . nathaniel dual role a both documentarian and lose son seem to do more to hurt the film than help . one sense that some of the interviewee be a little reluctant to really open up about negative aspect of kahn personality and career and presumably because it not clear from nathaniel whether he look to dig into the truth or simply want to hear nice story about his dad preferably one that will confirm his hope that his dad really do care more for nathaniel and his mother than seem likely . his passive approach a an interviewer may stem directly from this conflict . the only person nathaniel do push be his own mother and but those conversation tend to feel a little like bad teen drama ( aren not you angry and mom . ) and do not offer much in term of help u ( or nathaniel ) understand kahn or the loyalty he evoke from those around him . what the film desperately lack be shape by an experienced and independent hand and not to exclude nathaniel and but to balance his subjectivity and inexperience . an independent director could have stand away from the material and give more thought to what the interviewee could contribute and and one hope and cut out those portion of the documentary process that just do not work and such a the weird segment with the guy who claim to have see kahn die ( which make it look a if nathaniel be just be take in by some loony ) or the entire bit about hook up with kahn first cousin and who have nothing to add about kahn or nathaniel . too many time nathaniel make u watch him stand in or near a kahn building buttonhole stranger to tell them that his father be the designer . ( ahhh huh . thaaat nice and sir . umm i get ta go now . ) i understand why these thing might be important to nathaniel and that show the documentary process be sometimes interesting and but this be one of those example of when a documentary can be too personal . a an aside and i think the score write for the film be great . ( but and one of the odd moment in the entire thing for me be when and during the tour of the kimball art museum and the voice over quote kahn a make a comparison between architecture and beethoven fifth symphony . the music be play at the same time . beethoven ninth symphony . a mistake . a miscue . who know . it do make me laugh . ) kahn be a great architect and it clear that he be an unusual human be and have an intriguing life story . there definitely a good documentary to be make about him . one be sympathetic to nathaniel search for the father he do not know and but i be not sure whether that be an interesting story . neither work so well in this film .