What We Have Made

The world of construction is a very male one. If a woman does appear in this domain at all, she’s usually naked, with a fold somewhere around her navel and a thumbtack stuck above her head. Men, on the other hand, are represented in all shapes, sizes and colors at the construction site where What We Have Made was shot: old, young, black, white and many shades in between. From rookies to hardened old hands, from the strong silent type to those that simply can’t shut up, all of these guys have their own role in the creation of this gigantic edifice. This beautiful, crisp black-and-white film not only captures the choreography of construction and the logistical tour de force, but also these men, who spend long, laborious days out in all weather among the scaffolding, cranes, concrete mixers and their coworkers. Some of them are picked out in mini-portraits. Young João, for example, has finally been accepted into the construction family after completing his first year on the job. And Tardiveau, who hides his sensitive side behind a big mouth, compares himself to rough concrete as he affectionately pets his woolly white dog and worries about the prospect of retirement in 10 years’ time.