Constructing Albert

Filmmakers Laura Collado and Jim Loomis’s insightful and often entertaining documentary is a film about ambition, vision, obsession, and believing in the long game of destiny. For 25 years, Albert Adrià and his older brother Ferran ran a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Barcelona called El Bulli, widely credited as a revolutionary force that changed haute cuisine. Ferran had the greater experience as a chef and a larger personality, attracting the lion’s share of credit for El Bulli’s success. In the shadows was Albert, a master pastry chef who also contributed to the adventurous gourmet menu. When El Bulli closed in 2011, Albert took a year or two off to be with his newborn son--and then roared back into the industry with a master plan to open five new restaurants in a year. Each establishment is more boldly innovative than the one previous, culminating in the daring Enigma, conceived as a new paradigm for the dining experience. Along the way, Adrià becomes a man possessed, not brutal or meanspirited, but rather the captain of an untested ship in uncharted waters. When Enigma takes years to open, Adrià anxiously keeps faith in the mission. A strangely compelling and visually sumptuous film, Constructing Albert will appeal both to foodies and those fascinated by glimpses of Captain Ahab in unexpected places. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)