Brady Corbet delivers another masterpiece deconstructing the myth of the American dream but this time on an epic level. The Brutalist is breathtaking as it searches through individualism sought after as an artist and the isolation that comes with the success. 

Epic may be overused to describe films that seem large in scale or ideas presented but The Brutalist is genuinely epic in both size and narrative. Shot on 35 mm and printed on 70 mm VistaVision by Lol Crawley, Brady Corbet’s latest film explores the underbelly of the American dream through the eyes of fictional Jewish, Hungarian-American architect, László Tóth (Adrien Brody). As László arrives in America, he’s met with immediate struggle and temptations. His arrival feels disorienting with shaky camerawork and a soundscape filled with Yiddish and Hungarian phrases in the background as we see Lady Liberty through his eyes yet upside down, a clear perspective shift for the audience in changing the idea of projected American promise. In this exploration of a toxic relationship between capitalism and art, The Brutalist, co-written by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, is more of a question than a declaration of an idea.  Corbet’s film challenges audiences to think of what is being presented. Nothing is the ideals of what has come before; there is evil, grotesque behavior surrounding this dive into a tormented genius character study that doubles as an immigrant’s story of the ‘American dream.’ 

As László settles into Philadelphia to begin his new life, he can’t help but feel overwhelmed with grief and sorrow with his family still in the camps in Europe unable to escape. He lives and works for his cousin, Attila Molnár (Alessandro Nivola), except he’s now Miller, and no longer Jewish, but Catholic. In other hands, this may have felt too forced but László’s real time reaction and realization to the American dream his cousin is living with a beautiful wife and business requiring a new identity, a new religion and suppression of Jewishness is a cornerstone in Corbet’s presentation. There’s no big reaction from László but he already senses this American idyllic life isn’t all he’s being promised. The Brutalist is a definitive film on the immigrant experience and what happens when the American Dream is dangled in front of you in order to fail you. Soon, László receives word his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), whom he was separated from, has survived the camps and is alive in Europe. More good news comes to him as Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) is looking for someone to renovate his father’s library as a surprise. László and Attila assemble a small crew and build a gorgeous library that even a perfectionist such as László can’t help but find remarkable. However, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) stumbles in and to find strangers working in his home and furiously sends them off without paying them. Attila and his wife kick László to the curb, who ends up in a church shelter. László is hungry, tired, and alone; he’s consumed with an indescribable emotion as he cannot be with his wife or even know that she’s safe. He’s living in extreme poverty day by day, shoveling coal until Harrison finds him after the library László built him had taken the design world by storm. Harrison shows up with a dossier on László and his work from another life in Europe, before the war, before the Holocaust. Brody plays this scene with such palpable yearning, sadness, and longing for a life that was stolen from him. László delivers a line of how his designs were meant to survive erosions such as war and it’s such a brilliant commentary on the film’s own existence; the film will survive as years go on and deliver these ideas for generations to come.

 It’s impossible to not feel your own yearning for his life to simply just work out, but even as Harrison offers him a life raft of building a community center, there’s an unsettling feeling it’s not as easy as it seems. 

The next act of the film follows as Erzsébet and László’s niece, Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy), arrive in America. While Erzsébet is mentally and physically suffering from effects of the war, László’s drug addiction has grown to be consuming. What started as coping with pain has soon turned into a deep addiction that he soon brings Erzsébet into. Erzsébet immediately sees the darker underside of the Van Buren family. She feels they’re being held hostage on their property and the project being asked of László will take years, decades maybe, and never truly be finished. When Harrison travels with László to Carrara, Italy, The Brutalist takes a turn no one will see coming and not in a ‘don’t let this be spoiled’ kind of manner, but a true to life horror that is uncomfortable, jarring, and filled with just how rotten Americans, the wealthy, and men can be. Set within marble quarries, it’s one of the most striking scenes of the year, perhaps the decade. Crawley, the director of photography, is able to capture colors, tones, and palpable energy in this beautiful setting that feels haunting, rotten, and stunning all at the same time. 

Decades later, we learn the full truth of László and his vision at what should an event celebrating his lifetime of work but brings him nothing but pain to see the art he created instead of the life he was living. The reasoning behind so many specifications at the community center brings his vision, and honestly his heart, to center stage. Zsófia, now grown, is giving a speech that it’s about the destination, not the journey. László’s expression is one of confusion and pain, what has he done? Was it worth it? 

The ideas in the film are big, monumental as the film itself has been described by many, but Corbet and Fastvold never lose sight of the human story and emotions at its core. Corbet’s films, specifically Vox Lux, have always explored stories that are critical of capitalism, specifically American greed and focus points deemed more valuable than others due to appearance. While in Vox Lux it may have been a popstar, in The Brutalist, it’s not even just a building, it’s what art can be produced for spectacle, no matter the cost of the artist’s psyche. László comes to America to work and move on with his life after the horrors he experienced and continues to mentally endure yet he only encounters spiteful, ghastly people that use and abuse him. The Brutalist explores the themes of a family choosing business over artistry and the sacrifices of function over artistic expression. The Van Buren family has no creative passion of their own and drain László of his own artistry and drive for their empty vessels to provide spectacle and create a public sense of worth instead of creating on their own. 

The Brutalist is a monumental success not just because of Corbet’s brilliant direction, the sharp script, Crawley’s imagery, or composer Daniel Blumberg’s transcendent score but also due to the performances within it. Brody delivers a complimentary performance to his Oscar winning work in The Pianist, another film set within the Holocaust. It’s unreal what Brody does in The Brutalist as he carries so much within his eyes and physicality that László is unable to say. We’re lucky to witness him to be able to bring such a performance to screen. Pearce is an absolute marvel; it’s impossible to take your eyes off of him yet there’s a real fear of him. He perfectly encapsulates the wealthy monster role. Alwyn is genuinely brilliant and shines any moment he’s on screen; he continues to build an impressive resume. He’s dark and twisty as he plays the younger Van Buren with confidence, yet you can tell he discards anyone after he uses them. Cassidy, a Corbet staple, is back in two parts again and while not a major character for either part, brings such an emotional weight to the film. She is able to do so much with her eyes and limited screentime that you feel her and László’s love for her characters even when she’s not on screen. 

Corbet delivers another masterpiece deconstructing the myth of the American dream but this time on an epic level. The Brutalist is breathtaking as it searches through individualism sought after as an artist and the isolation that comes with the success. 

Grade: A+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting Actress (Felicity Jones), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design
Should be Considered: Best Sound, Best Costume Design

Release Date: December 20, 2024
Where to Watch: In Select Theaters