The perfect miniseries for understanding the housing crisis is now available to stream

‘The Architect’ addresses housing issues from a perspective that is both raw and satirical.

Update: Oct 14th, 2026 00:27 CEST

In less than a month, housing has become a pressing issue in Europe’s politics. Although it has been a serious problem in our country for many years, few productions have managed to portray the harsh reality of housing insecurity as well as ‘The Architect’ has.

This Norwegian “miniseries,” which premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival (where it received a special mention from the jury), was directed by Kerren Lumer-Klabbers (who, until then, had only made short films), who co-wrote the screenplay with Kristian Kilde and Nora Landsrød. Its tiny cast is led by Eili Harboe (star of Joachim Trier’s ‘Thelma’, who also played Ebba, Lukas Matsson’s assistant and ex-girlfriend, in the latest season of ‘Succession’) and Fredrik Stenberg Ditlev-Simonsen (an actor who had a small role in Kristoffer Borgli’s hilarious ‘Sick of Myself’).

The story is set in a futuristic Oslo where housing prices have skyrocketed and landlords cram as many people as possible into a single apartment. Against this backdrop, a project to build 1,000 apartments in the city is put out to bid, an opportunity that architect Julie seizes to try to convert empty underground parking garages into residential buildings.

You don’t know whether to laugh or tremble

Although it addresses the housing crisis, it’s quite funny, as it features well-placed touches of dark humor that align with its bleak critique of modern society. This humor is consistently emphasized by the performances and the use of close-ups to highlight the situation. The story is both simple (the essence of the plot is the relationship between Julia and her ex-boyfriend Marcus, with whom she shares a workspace) and ambitious (it openly critiques how progress excludes many people and how greed can blind even the most optimistic ideals), and the production design is meticulously crafted, effectively conveying just how cold the world is.

Miniseries or short film?

That said, calling this work a miniseries is a bit of a stretch, because—even though it meets the standards of a self-contained story told in a single season—it doesn’t make sense for it to be a miniseries. I say this because the four episodes that make up the series are each between 18 and 20 minutes long, for a total runtime of about 72 minutes. This is important because it’s essential to understand that miniseries are conceived as films that must be divided into episodes because, taken together, they last longer than a standard feature film—as seen with ‘Angels in America’ or ‘Olive Kitteridge,’ which were divided into 6 and 4 one-hour episodes, respectively.