In Budapest in the 1930s and 40s, the Jewish László Tóth (Adrien Brody) was a legend. A visionary architect, he designed businesses, libraries, everything one could think of. All with his own distinct ‘brutalist’ style, his buildings were designed specifically to last the ravages of time. Unfortunately, his own life was not so secure and when the Nazis began their purging of Europe, and László, his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) were sent to camps, their futures uncertain.
With the end of the war, László who is separated from his wife and niece, flees to the land of opportunity, America to rebuild his life. László begins work designing furniture at a store owned by his cousin, Attila (Alessandro Nivola), himself settled in America with a new name, accent and religion. Things are awkward but functional and the “American Dream” seems within grasp. Especially when wealthy client Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) commissions László to design a reading room for his wealthy industrialist father Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). This surprise does not go well to say the least…
Dejected, beaten down and with an acquired drug addiction, László takes manual labour jobs to pay the bills until Harrison, coming to respect László‘s skill, commissions the man to build a grand and monumental megastructure. A testament to the Van Buren name and to László‘s creativity. The opportunities this will bring seem a godsend, as he is reunited with Erzsébet and Zsófia. The American Dream has been thrown into his lap but László forgets the words of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, “None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free”.
It has been quite the journey for actor turned filmmaker Brady Corbet. Starting out playing small roles in various productions he has recently made the move to directing along with his co-writer and wife Mona Fastvold. His previous film Vox Lux (2018) received praise for its desire to be inventive and original. His follow up, The Brutalist proves to be his most daring and ambitious film to date. One which celebrates the most daring visionaries who were our ancestors.
From the opening, this film sets out to be a call back to grand, jaw dropping spectacular epics. Right down to the very film stock it is shot on, that being ‘VistaVision’, a now largely defunct format. Largely used on the epics of the past, it involves 35mm film being horizontally (not vertically) fed through the camera, resulting in a significantly greater image area, higher resolution and clarity.
The Brutalist features incredible performances from the lead trio of performers. Brody‘s László embodies the hardships and the drive fuelling those with a vision, very much a representation of the immigrant experience and those with a desire not simply to make it big in America, but to leave something behind which will last the ages.
Jones as Erzsébet has a smaller role only being introduced in the film’s second half, yet she is the heart of the film in many ways. The saying that behind every great man is a woman exists for a reason, and Erzsébet is exactly the sort of intelligent strong person visionaries need to keep them grounded and moral. The fault comes when László ceases to appreciate his loved one’s places in the future he is building.
Meanwhile, Pearce shows possibly his best performance in years. One which is at times inspiring, amusing and terrifying. There’s another saying, that behind every artist is the man who is paying for the whole thing! So, when the money man wants something done his way you better believe he is going to get it regardless of what others want.
The Brutalist carries a hefty runtime of 215 minutes (3h, 35m) with an intermission built into the film. The first I’ve seen in a while. It is told in two parts, the first chronicling László‘s arrival, while the other half shows the hardships as László‘s creativity clashes with life’s hurdles. I must admit, the first half seems much more focused on its intent and characters. With the closing of the intermission, it feels like a switch has been flipped for the sake of drama rather than it being a gradually developed thing.
In particular, the character of Harrison whose hard exterior yet deeper laying joviality and friendliness felt refreshing. Like that of 2023’s ‘Saltburn‘, it hinted at more depth than we’re used to seeing in class struggle storylines. But with the flipping of that switch, Harrison seems to become a different person, perhaps it was always there but that joviality immediately shifts to bigotry and a more monstrous nature which feels unsatisfying.
Yet while the film has its questionable pacing and storytelling, its gigantic nature can be felt throughout. With music by Daniel Blumberg and cinematography by Lol Crawley, The Brutalist makes its audience feel small. Nowhere else is this better shown than in the film’s opening single-take sequence: A confused and disorientated László awakens upon his arrival in New York city. The Statue of Liberty towers above the audience in all her majesty, but its shot at uncomfortable angles and with an almost frightening score, its humbling, as if you’re looking upon it for the first time.
An epic story with an epic score, epic acting and epic cinematography, but with a somewhat disappointing presentation which doesn’t quite take full advantage of all its parts or its lengthy runtime, The Brutalist is ironically a movie much like the work of László Tóth himself. Something which is awe inspiring to behold, even if it is lacking something to tie it all together.
The Brutalist is in cinemas January 23.