As I was walking out of an IMAX special screening of “The Brutalist,” I kept trying to absorb everything that I had seen, but one thing I was sure of was that I had just seen the art of filmmaking at its full potential.
Its ambitious nature only became even more impressive when I learned that everything this film achieved was with a budget of $9.6 million. In a climate where audiences question whether great films can still be made, “The Brutalist” comes in like a breath of fresh air, reminding us of what is possible in this medium.
“The Brutalist” (2024) is an American epic, directed by Brady Corbet, with an ensemble that includes the talents of Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce. The film has a 215-minute runtime, including a 15-minute intermission at its midpoint.
“The Brutalist” includes two parts, “The Enigma of Arrival” and “The Hard Core of Beauty,” and an epilogue, “The First Architecture Biennale.” The film became the first full American feature in more than six decades to be shot in VistaVision, and, at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it was projected on 70mm.
The film follows the story of László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a visionary Hungarian-Jewish architect who escapes post-war Europe to America to rebuild his life, alone, still separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) since the war. In America, Tóth meets up with his cousin Attila, who owns a furniture store in Philadelphia, and tries to resume his architectural work. Tóth’s life takes a drastic turn when he comes across wealthy industrialist Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who commissions him for a monumental project.
Corbet’s American saga is more than just a story about immigration; it is also about power, capitalism, and the existence of pure art itself. The film’s runtime provides room for all the themes to be explored, and the film’s character-driven plot allows for creating multidimensional characters that could convince any viewer that they were real people from our lifetime.
Adrien Brody gives a career-best performance as László Tóth, who is first introduced in a dark, overcrowded setting, where he displays a sort of disoriented look on his face. As he moves through the crowd, he is soon met with the outside, where his face changes into happiness at the sight of the Statue of Liberty.
Daniel Blumberg’s piercing score heightens the moment’s elation. However, Cinematographer Lol Crawley’s direction to frame the iconic statue upside down signifies the distorted elements that make up the American dream.
Through Tóth’s cousin, the works of cultural assimilation are seen in action, as his cousin erases all traces of his Jewish background by naming his furniture store Miller & Sons despite not being named Miller, or having any sons, and converting to Catholicism following his wife’s influence.
In addition, when Tóth meets Van Buren, their relationship presents the concealed differences in power between social classes. Van Buren establishes control over Tóth from the beginning by not offering a ride back home, forcing Tóth to stay the night and listen to Van Buren’s project proposals the following day, eventually agreeing to work for him.
Another key scene shows Van Buren throwing money at Tóth and asking him to pick it up from the floor and give it back to him. All these ideas expand on the film’s overarching theme of capitalism and how pure art is often sacrificed in the hands of money.
While the film’s first part feels much stronger than the second part, the main vision of the story is not lost at any point. Corbet’s 215-minute American epic is a testament to the power of filmmaking and deserves to be seen on the big screen. “The Brutalist” is now playing in selected theaters.
Juliana Rivas • Jan 24, 2025 at 9:28 pm
Thank you for this, Mariana. Though I haven’t seen the film, the way you’ve highlighted the relationships and power struggles, especially between Tóth and Van Buren, makes me eager to see how it all plays out on screen. I look forward to reading more of your posts.