The Brutalist Review: A Cinematic Masterpiece Easily Contends for the Year’s Best Film

The Oxford Dictionary defines brutalism as “a style of architecture used especially in the 1950s and 60s that uses large concrete blocks, steel, etc., and is sometimes considered ugly and unpleasant.” It is pure form and function with no elegantly curved lines, artistic flourishes, or warm aesthetics. A cold and haunting beauty can exist within obtuse angles, cubes, and irregular sight lines that aren’t readily apparent at a casual glance. It must be observed and digested to fully understand. Your initial impression may not be indicative of a deeper meaning or intent.

Corbet, an accomplished actor (Thirteen, Funny Games, Martha Marcy May Marlene) and filmmaker (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux), embraces this conceptual design in crafting his engrossing protagonist. We’re introduced to László Tóth (Brody) from a skewed perspective inside the belly of a ship crowded with desperate refugees. He looks up to see the Statue of Liberty looming upside down. It is a symbol of hope, freedom, and desperate loss. László survived a Nazi concentration camp but hadn’t seen his beloved wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), and niece, Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy), since their separation years ago in Budapest.

Desperate Refugees

László weeps with joy at the site of his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) in Philadelphia. The men clutch each other wildly in an absolutely shattering scene of reconnection. Tears and mucus pour down their faces. They are alive and together again, despite the most horrific circumstances. Attila married a Gentile and opened a small furniture store. László laughs when learning its name. “Miller” was the most American sounding title Attila could think of.

László is stunned to meet Audrey (Emma Laird), Attila’s gorgeous blonde wife. He converted to Catholicism for her. László sincerely appreciates the small cot Audrey has prepared in the back room of their warehouse. They don’t have much to give. Attila cannot wait for László to start designing new furniture. He was a renowned architect in Europe before the war.

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Attila takes László to meet Harry (Joe Alwyn), a prestigious client and the son of wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Harry wants to redo his father’s treasured library as a gift. They have little time as the project is a surprise and has to be done in secret before Harrison returns to their opulent mansion.

A Staggering Epic About the American Dream & Primal Human Nature

The Brutalist is told in two sections with a fifteen-minute intermission. Each section is broken down into chapters prefaced with a title theme for the forthcoming narrative. The overall plot takes place over 30 years, with the first part as an expository primer for truly staggering events in the second half.

Corbet wants to make sure the audience knows his characters before thrusting them into the maelstrom. This is brilliantly done through various methods. For example, Erzsébet and Zsófia aren’t physically present until the second section, but we learn a great deal about them through mail correspondence with László. They loom like a mountain in the distance. The heart of the film is the American dream and what must be sacrificed to attain it.

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The Brutalist gets granular in a visceral exploration of hedonistic carnality and drug addiction. László seeks comfort in sex and heroin as an escape from significant mental and physical anguish. He bears the scars of his tortured experience. Fornicating with prostitutes in a psychotropic haze of wanton lust is both a needed release and a shackle. These themes expand throughout the supporting cast, as they also engage and act on the most primal of impulses. Jaws will drop to the floor at the climactic culmination of this thread; it will likely be the greatest point of discussion in a film loaded with memorable moments. Shocking is an understatement.

215 Minutes Fly By as Adrien Brody & Guy Pearce Give Arguably Their Best Performances

Corbet shot The Brutalist using Paramount’s ’50s era VistaVision’s widescreen 35MM format that was then converted to a 70MM print. He aims at and grandly succeeds in achieving an epic, historical look in the vein of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Corbet displays tremendous expertise with varied points of view. Long tracking shots that wind around tight corners and unnerving close-ups are juxtaposed with breathtaking expansive scenes. The film is a feast for the eyes while telling an intimate story in limited settings. It’s astonishing what Corbet does with his rumored $6 million budget.

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The Brutalist isn’t basic Oscar baitluring audiences with predictable Holocaust and war themes. It is nothing like Roman Polanski’s The Pianisteven though both films star Brody, and this one will likely result in him winning again for Best Actor. An incredible Guy Pearce also deserves recognition for his career best performance. He’ll probably be on stage with Corbet and Brody at the Dolby Theatre next March. I can say without hyperbole The Brutalist’s four hours vanishes like a breeze. There isn’t a dull second here.

The Brutalist was screened at New York City’s Directors Guild of America theater as part of the 62nd New York Film Festival (NYFF). It is a production of Brookstreet Pictures, Kaplan Morrison, Andrew Lauren Productions, and Intake Films, et al. The Brutalist will be released on December 20th in the US by A24 with international distribution from Universal Pictures and Focus Features.