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Netflix Malaysia (and Indonesia) subscribers will be happy to know this film has been added into the library of movies. For those who either missed the movie while it was screening in movie theaters, or just want to re-watch this, you can do so. Familiar faces like Putri Marino, who is of Italian-Balinese descent will grace your screen. Putri Marino’s stellar performance in the television miniseries Gadis Kretek (Cigarette Girl) makes her memorable. There’s something to be said about this film in that it is filled with poetry, although some of the lines can feel cliché. One memorable line in the movie reads as : Just because there’s an empty space, it doesn’t mean that space has to be filled.

The original soundtrack (OST) of the movie has to be the highlight. Accompanying the tone of the story, the songs felt breezy, which is why I was drawn in, even more than the skyline of a popular city, which is the setting of the story. You might want to check out the OST, after this.

For every aspiring writer, this film depicts the struggles of those who craft stories for a living, as well as the glamour that comes with it, once you’re a published author and have acquired a certain degree of fame. Those who have a background in architecture will learn to have a more poetic perspective on buildings, especially tourist attractions that find its relation(s) to the protagonist(s)’ line of work. There’s much to learn from how many of us turn to nature for inspiration, with the respective scenes pacing the film.

Despite its rather straightforward premise, the characters’ ability to be vulnerable as well as awkwardness adds up to a story that’s worth telling and adapting for the screen, even if I felt drawn out of the story at certain points. Even then, I was pleasantly drawn in once again, the minute Nicholas Saputra’s character makes his confession - pretty much during the final moments of the film.

The Architecture of Love is originally a book (2016) which has found its way to both the silver screens and your home smart TV screen(s), thanks to services like Netflix.

Audio is largely Indonesian with Javanese slang/salutations but there’s also English. Runtime is 110 minutes.