The Brutalist: An Epic American Saga
Movie Review by: Joao Sieber Bittencourt
Header image courtesy of A24, from The Brutalist (directed by Brady Corbet)
The Brutalist rings true now more than ever in a political climate as fervent as it is. Brady Corbet’s intense, harrowing, and depressing tale of a Hungarian immigrant coming to the United States after the Second World War feels timeless in its execution. It is a feat of filmmaking that will be thought of for decades after this year.
Picture this: You go into a cinema, maybe grab a tub of popcorn and a soft drink. You sit in the theater, waiting for the movie to start playing. You begin to hear the soft clicking of a film project as you are greeted with images more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. Not only that, but you begin to feel as if you are back in time, right there along with the characters on screen. You feel fully immersed. That is what Brady Corbet’s vision was for The Brutalist, a tale as old as time and yet timely all the same. The risk of attempting to shoot on 35mm VistaVision film on a measly $10 million budget, which is not close to the salary of even one actor on a big production, was a major risk. As Corbet said, every penny was on the screen. Years of working for free and living off the bare minimum to make this film have finally come to fruition. We watch as László Toth (Adrien Brody), a renowned architect in his home country of Hungary, has to flee Europe in search of a better life. His voyage takes him first to New York City, and then to Philadelphia. In an attempt to rebuild his life, he takes on a variety of jobs. That is, until Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), a man of immense wealth and prominence, acknowledges his excellence. The Brutalist is about many things in its 3-hour and 35-minute runtime, but what strikes the hardest is its incredible exploration of power. The idea of the American Dream has been critiqued time and time again. Yet, Corbet does it through a masterful lens that will make you keep thinking.
An extensive runtime may seem extreme to most, but besides the 15-minute intermission, the film rarely lets up. Spanning 3 decades, events unfold rather quickly. Normally, this would mean that the characters may suffer due to the fact that we never get the chance to breathe, but this is not the case. Due to some of the most impressive performances ever put to screen, the people in this film will make you laugh, and cry. 22 years after his masterful performance in The Pianist, Adrien Brody is back and better than ever. Arguably his career best, he fully becomes László Toth and the audience forgets he was anyone else. Felicity Jones delivers a heartbreaking performance as László’s partner in this life, with a steadily rising vigor that explodes in a crucial scene, leaving everyone speechless. The standout, however, is Guy Pearce’s groundbreaking performance. His presence forces you to glue your eyes to the screen. His charismatic attitude has you gripped from the beginning, beckoning you to look closer.
When speaking of The Brutalist, it’s hard to not mention the transcendent score by Daniel Blumberg. Moments of magnitude are met with bombastic horns that accentuate the epic scale of the film. In moments of intimacy, the sound is reduced to a low piano, which will move you all the same. The work behind the camera is just as vital to creating the immersive experience, and Lol Crawley’s work is more than just that. As Director of Photography, Crawley creates some of the most vicious, breathtaking, gorgeous cinematography ever put to screen. Each frame of this 35mm film is magnificent, and each one invites you to look closer. Hidden layers, interwoven into the film, are only visible when you look deeper. The Brutalist is a film that not only benefits from but demands multiple viewings to grasp the magnitude of the things at play.
Breathtaking landscapes, immense productions, and incredible performances, all due to the immense passion of everyone involved. Brady Corbet’s name may not be a well-known one, having only done 2 other films besides this one, but that will change very soon. When you hear his name get called up, time and time again through these next few months of award competition, it would be unwise to be surprised. The sheer scale of this film is enough to get into conversations, and it is a feat of filmmaking that refuses to be forgotten.
Do yourself a favor, and watch this film in a theater. Preferably in either 35 or 70mm film, as it was intended to watch. It will be well worth your time, and you won’t be able to fully invest yourself by watching at home. I promise you will not regret it.
The Brutalist will be released in theaters on December 20, 2024.