Satirical Short About Tyrannical Starchitect Being Presented In The Hamptons

The Parrish Art Museum in Water will screen Home, a satiric short film by Sandy Perlbinder, a filmmaker/producer based in New York and the Hamptons, on Friday, April 5 at 6 p.m. The film provides an insightful, hilarious view of an imposing architect stereotype and his naïve clients. It was originally a featured short at Sundance Film Festival. Following the showing, there will be a panel discussion with Perlbinder, architecture critic Paul Goldberger, architect James Merrell, and psychoanalyst Robby Stein, moderated by Museum Director Terrie Sultan. The event is part of the Museum’s series Intersections: The Architect in Conversation.

“I’m excited to screen this pointed film and examine the myth of the contemporary starchitect and the psychology behind the expectations and aspirations of people who have their homes designed,” said Corinne Erni, Curator of Special Projects and ArtsReach.

Home (1989, NR, 7:40 minutes) tells the story of a tyrannical starchitect who imposes his absurd vision on an unsuspecting couple building their first home. John Glover stars as Erich Hochmann, a brilliant and trendy deconstructivist architect modeled after Peter Eisenman, whose arrogance extends beyond his students and associates to his well-heeled, social-climbing clients. The protagonist also references personalities such as Howard Roark from Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, and Frank Lloyd Wright.

After a short stint learning the ropes in commercial TV production, Perlbinder started her own company producing award-winning commercials and films. Home, her first comedy/drama, grew out of Perlbinder’s own experiences enduring construction and renovation while living through the tyranny of a starchitect. The film is funny, smart and depicts the relationship between a specific type of architect and his clients.

Paul Goldberger, who won the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and was the architecture critic for The New Yorker from 1997-2011. He also wrote on the topic for Architectural Digest, and for decades at The New York Times. Architect James Merrell, who studied under Peter Eisenman and leads his own firm in Sag Harbor, has more than 30 years of experience designing residences on the East End and West Coast. Dr. Robert Stein is a Sag Harbor based psychoanalyst/couples and family therapist who has practiced for 40 years, and a three time appointee to the Sag Harbor Village Board.

Tickets are $12 and free for members and students.

The Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway in Water Mill. To reserve your ticket, visit parrishart.org.