Through the overwhelming darkness, not much can be deciphered except for the frantic shuffling of bodies desperately escaping captivity, one of whom is Hungarian-born Jewish architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), the life and soul of Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. This unnerving chaos is soothed ever so slightly by the voice of Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), the wife László was forcibly separated from in Budapest during the Nazi’s World War II invasion of Hungary. As sirens ring out and voices cry out in terror, Erzsébet’s voice remains steady, reading one of the many letters she would send to her husband in their time apart. László’s location is unclear until a steel door bursts open, and a patina beacon of hope towers over his head. The Statue of Liberty, one of the world’s most iconic symbols of freedom, signals that the Holocaust is now behind him and the American Dream is in grasp.
As one may expect, László Tóth’s new life in the United States in 1947 is not as idealistic as he would have hoped from the outset. After departing a Greyhound bus in Philadelphia, he finds residence in the back room of a furniture shop owned by his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, turning to soup kitchens for nourishment. László works for Attila until his slyly xenophobic all-American wife, Audrey (Emma Laird), schemes to kick him to the curb. It’s not until a wealthy client tracks him down that László is able to escape poverty and return to his career as an architect successfully. His distinctive brutalist style, which became popularized in the wake of WWII, grants him the opportunity to not only physically build again but also to rebuild the life that had been so cruelly stolen.
Much of the buzz that has surrounded The Brutalist, from its impressive festival runs at Venice and TIFF to its North American acquisition by A24, comes from its whopping 215-minute runtime. However, its 3-and-a-half-hour length is what makes The Brutalist all the more special. Writer-director Brady Corbet and his long-time partner/co-writer Mona Fastvold once again join forces, the couple having previously worked on 2014’s The Sleepwalker, 2015’s The Childhood of a Leader, and 2018’s Vox Lux together, to craft a screenplay that can be considered extremely bold for today’s Hollywood standards. The story of The Brutalist is split into two primary chapters and is bookended by a prologue and epilogue, respectively. What truly puts Corbet’s film in line with the historical epics of days gone by, though, is a built-in, necessary 15-minute intermission that serves both the plot and its character drama.
The lead-up to the film’s intermission is invigorating to the highest degree, as composer Daniel Blumberg (The World to Come) ramps up the emotions with his transcendent sophomore feature film score and Erzsébet’s tender voice shares the final letter written to her husband during their forcible separation. Erzsébet shares that she and László will soon be reunited with the addition of his niece, who has been orphaned following the death of his sister. Their soon-to-be reunion is partially thanks to the location of a photograph from their wedding that proves that Zsófia (Raffey Cassidey) is Erzsébet’s niece through marriage. That same image grows, slowly engulfing the screen alongside a timer that ticks down by the second. This intermission grants the audience a brief, much-needed rest. It effectively segments the narrative as well, heightening the anticipation for the striking story to continue while keeping a sustainable pace.
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s script is profoundly self-assured and comprehensive in all of its ventures. The personal investment Corbet holds in László’s poignant life story is tangible, undoubtedly reflecting fragments of his own mother’s experience fleeing Hungary during the 1950s anti-soviet revolution and subsequently folding in layers of authenticity. This story feels as hyper-realistic as it can get. These characters and the events of their lives harbor such specificity that it’s all but guaranteed that most audience members are going to be fact-checking that this was not adapted from a true story after their screenings. Corbet’s nuanced depiction of the immigrant experience, as well as the subsequent highs and lows that accompany it, speaks not only to this time period but also to the exceedingly globalized modern world. In this way, The Brutalist carries a cunning, paradoxical impact as it proves to be both an immovable and timeless tale.
The Brutalist is shot by cinematographer Lol Crawley (White Noise, The Devil All the Time) entirely on VistaVision, a widescreen 35mm film format that was created in the ’50s. Crawley’s ability to capture over double the resolution of a standard frame aligns with the consistent, deliberate choices being made throughout the movie, which overall contributes to Brady Corbet’s elaborate storytelling. Additionally, The Brutalist is the first American production to utilize VistaVision since 1961. The soft colors and grainy texture indicative of the format deeply immerse the audience in the era of the story. Along with Judy Becker‘s production design, every technical element of The Brutalist masterfully comes together to form a captivating portrait of what it means to be a dreamer in America.
Even with a staggering portfolio under his name, this is arguably Adrien Brody’s finest, most affecting work to date. While he is given a leg up by the thoughtfulness of the superb script, portraying László Tóth as the narrative traverses 30 years of his life is still a mammoth task. On another note, given that Brody blew up in stardom after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in The Pianist, wherein he also played a Holocaust survivor, his casting in The Brutalist presents the challenge of him stepping back into this headspace to create a new unique protagonist. And yet, it is Brody’s multifaceted performance that breathes life into this fallible person who demands to be rooted for. Brody is the powerful glue that holds together this star-studded ensemble, which underwent various iterations throughout the film’s prolonged pre-production process before finally locking down this stellar combination.
As Harrison Lee Van Buren, an old money tycoon who both makes and breaks Tóth’s new hopeful life in America, actor Guy Pearce (Mare of Easttown, Mildred Pierce) matches Brody’s dedication, resulting in a fearless rally that showcases the varying states of the human psyche. Aside from these two clear standouts, it is Joe Alwyn (The Favourite, Kinds of Kindness) who cements his scene-stealer status, playing Harrison’s consistently unnerving son, Harry Lee Van Buren. Given the circumstances of her being separated from László for the first half of the plot, Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, On the Basis of Sex) as Erzsébet Tóth is the only casting that doesn’t quite click as well as the others. Nonetheless, Jones still plays a huge role in powering the film’s emotional core.
The better part of seven years have gone into making The Brutalist, and no day has gone unnoticed. The unwavering dedication sown into its very fabric is reflected in its formidable quality. Avoiding hyperboles can be a difficult task in the realm of film criticism, especially when they are used in vain more often than not. Still, The Brutalist truly feels like a monumental moment in modern cinematic history that must be seen. Moreover, this historical epic could very well mark the birth of a new auteur in filmmaker Brady Corbet. After all, as a grown-up Zsófia reminds the audience during the film’s epilogue, perhaps it is about the destination and not the journey.
The Brutalist premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival!
Release Date: TBA.
Directed by Brady Corbet.
Written by Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold.
Produced by Nick Gordon, D.J. Gugenheim, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison, & Brian Young.
Executive Producers: Ron Curtis, Mark Gillespie, Jiarui Gyo, Aaron Himmel, David Hinojosa, Joshua Horsfield, Pamela Koffler, Max Kondziolka, Mark Lampert, Oleg Nodelman, Michael Orcutt, Kelly Peck, Thomas Pierce, Klaudia Smieja, Carter Stanton, Kyle Stroud, Christine Vachon, Ruby Walden, & Scott Weber.
Main Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Alessandro Nivola, Jonathan Hyde, Isaach De Bankolé, Raffey Cassidy, Emma Laird, Peter Polycarpou, & Jaymes Butler.
Cinematographer: Lol Crawley.
Composer: Daniel Blumberg.
Production Companies: Andrew Lauren Productions, Yellow Bear, Brookstreet Pictures, Intake Films, Killer Films, Protagonist Pictures, Three Six Zero Group, Proton Cinema, & Parable Media.
Distributor: A24 (U.S.) & Focus Features (International).
Runtime: 215 minutes.
