Adapted from “The Glass Room” novel by Simon Mawer, The Affair follows three love stories and a real-life architectural masterpiece during the dramatic events of 20th century Czechoslovakia.
Its themes include love, friendship, life-changing decisions, and of course the political turmoil that took place in Europe during that time. As the story unfolds certain elements begin to be brought to light including the leads affairs and the forbidden attraction between best friends Hana and Liesel played by (Carice van Houten and Hanna Alström). However, there’s one thing that stood out as a special character on its own and that is the house/villa itself.
Located in Brno, the Tugendhat Villa was designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1930. Sitting on top of a hill the modern home was a progressive gem in architecture for its time and as the novel’s title suggests, contains a large glass wrap-around living room.
“I think it’s sort of like a synergy, the house affects them and they affect the house. The house is built by these people,” says Claes Bang who plays Viktor in the film. “I really liked the fact that they are so shaped by what they built.” The house was built with the intention to be open and let in light and in some ironic way that’s exactly what happens in the film.
The Affair is available this Friday, March 5 on-demand.
