As director Brady Corbet’s latest film, “The Brutalist,” opens with a blur of New York City’s skyline, accompanied by a cacophony of overlapping voices and city traffic, it’s hard for viewers to find a focal point through all the commotion. The audience catches glimpses of the main character László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, as he breaks out of a crowded room and into the sunlight, catching glimpses of the Statue of Liberty. However, the film takes a unique approach to depicting the statue. Rather than showcasing the monument in all of its glory, it presents the structure upside down, from the top of the frame. Essentially, that is what “The Brutalist” is: uncovering the American dream’s distortion by turning it upside down.
The period drama had a limited release at various film festivals in September 2024, had a limited release in the United States on Dec. 20 2024 and is set to have a wide release internationally on Jan. 24, 2025. “The Brutalist” has already garnered numerous accolades, most notably the Golden Globe awards for “Best Drama Film” and “Best Lead Actor” for Adrien Brody. The film is set in the U.S. in the early 1900s and follows Hungarian architect László Tóth’s journey as an immigrant, separated from his family in hopes of achieving a better future. After extensive struggle, he is picked up by wealthy businessman Harrison Lee Van Buren as a contract worker, only to learn more about the Van Burens’ twisted family as they begin to take over his life. The film shows how Tóth becomes increasingly obsessed with his art, which eventually drives him to madness, affecting both him and his family. The Van Burens fan the flames of his insanity, while Tóth’s trauma as a Holocaust survivor further contributes to his descent.

The heart of the film is its captivating dialogue. The movie carries a 215-minute runtime, but the extensive length is hardly noticeable — at one point as Van Buren and Tóth are discussing Tóth’s origins as an architect, Van Buren says to Tóth: “I found this conversation persuasive and intellectually stimulating,” which is an accurate summary of the film as a whole. With a solid screenplay that has little to no dull moments, the dialogue of the film provides a plethora of new perspectives on topics like the immigrant experience, architecture and human philosophies like love and ambition.
Despite many strong aspects, the narrative in the second half of the film loses its cohesion as more characters such as Tóth’s wife and niece are introduced, jumping between plot points and making it hard on occasion for the audience to follow along. However, this doesn’t detract from the overall viewing experience, as the screenplay quickly utilizes its dialogue to get the story back on track. Whether it be Tóth and Van Buren’s interactions with each other or extended monologues from different characters providing insight into their personas, audiences are always engaged with both the content and the delivery.
Of course, the dialogue would be nothing without a stellar cast bringing it to life. With renowned actors such as Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist” is a masterclass in acting. Brody’s wide range of emotions shines on screen, visible from the opening scene onwards as he joyfully weeps at the sight of the Statue of Liberty. Pearce’s performance as the antagonist embodies the dichotomy of selfishness and selflessness, as the audience is able to see how his subtlety and kindness to Brody’s character at the start of the film gradually morph into control and dominance. Jones plays Erzebet, Tóth’s wife, and while she is only present in the second half, she is a tour-de-force, delivering a dramatic but apt performance as she shares Tóth’s struggles.

“The Brutalist” is also a technical marvel, vitalized by cinematographer Lol Crawley’s fluid visuals. The film is shot entirely in VistaVision 70mm film, adding a vintage and authentic feel to the 1900s period the movie is set in. Many unique visuals, especially with the various structures Tóth builds both in his hometown in Hungary and in America, experiment with different perspectives and camera angles. This complements Tóth himself, who, being an architect, aims to always innovate and experiment with his work as well. The style of brutalist architecture highlights features such as exposed concrete, angular shapes and minimalist design, which becomes a recurring theme in the shots of the film. All of the visuals are anchored by a powerful score by Daniel Blumberg, providing instrumentals that bolster each scene and make them more engaging, whether with mellow piano melodies during more solemn scenes or bold and blaring trombone codas during suspenseful scenes.
Despite following a very straightforward plot with little to no plot twists or confusion, “The Brutalist” holds much deeper meaning. The film serves as a case study of the immigrant pursuit of the American dream, as well as masterfully depicting class hierarchy and the exploitation of the lower working class through the relationship between the Tóths and the Van Burens. As the film gradually reveals the toxic dynamics between the two families, it becomes even more impressive how subtly the power imbalance was hinted at from the very beginning. As Harrison becomes more obsessed with perfecting his art and using Tóth as a tool to do so, the film also dives into commentary on the role that capitalism plays in the destruction of art.

“The Brutalist” is ambitious, and a reminder that risk-taking is necessary in order to be groundbreaking. The film captures two of the most definitive forms of expression in the 20th century: cinema and architecture, to deliver a grueling tale of a man trying to make a name and a future for himself and his family. And in doing so, the movie captures and twists the classic American dream, providing unique social commentary. The American dream is beautiful, but it is just as brutal.
RATING: 4.5/5