4 Stars

In Brady Corbet’s third feature, The Brutalist, which is gaining large acclaim, is a sweeping chronicle of the immigrant experience. The narrative is told through the perspective of a Jewish Holocaust survivor named László Tóth (Adrien Brody), who emigrates to America in the final days of WW2. He worked as an architect in Europe and Hungary before the war. He possessed a unique style, yet he struggled to locate the necessary resources or connections. As he awaits the long arrival of his wife, Erzsébet Tóth (Felicity Jones), and Zsófia (Raffidy Cassidy), László’s mute, orphaned teenage niece.

László’s journey starts off as a study of geographical dislocation. László is in anguish from the trauma of the war; he longs for his wife, and he finds himself in brothels and being addicted to heroin to ease his alienation. László ends up finding some work in Pennsylvania after he reconnects with his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola), a furniture store owner in Philadelphia. His cousin is very loving and supportive; he ends up getting Laszlo a job at the furniture store and offers his home up as a place to stay until he gets back on his feet.

The Brutalist

Courtesy A24 Films

While awaiting more work, László finds a return to his creative roots as a brutalist architect after Attilia introduces him to Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn), the son of a very wealthy industrialist named Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Peare), in which László ends up remodeling their guest room into a library room with elegant pull-out shelves. This doesn’t sit well at first with Harrison, who is under extreme anxiety from his ailing mother. It doesn’t take long for to lose the contract and his reputation, especially after Harrison threatens with a lawsuit. Tensions arise once Attila’s wife, Audrey (Emma Laird), makes false allegations that he tried to kiss her. László feels even more disconnected in America as he searches for his purpose and his livelihood.

László ends up moving out of Attila’s house and in debt from Harrison’s project. He ends up getting a job at a coal mine with his fellow friend Gordon (Isaach de Bankole). A few years pass by; László is struggling emotionally and financially, but Harrison gives him a surprise visit. He ends up appreciating the work he did in the guest room, and he ends up researching his work, which furthers his appreciation and curiosity. Harrison ends up offering László a king’s ransom of an opportunity to regain his career as an architect on some projects that include a community chapter in remembrance of his passing mother. The two men form a business relationship and eventually a friendship. Harrison even uses his political contacts to help get Erzebet and Zofia back into the United States.

The Brutalist

Courtesy A24 Films

Even though Harrison is manipulative, Corbet grounds Brody’s László character with a lot of flaws as well. He is a perfectionist, holds a quick temper, visits prostitutes as he aways his wife’s return, and has his own issues with alcohol and drugs. This furthers Harrison’s distrust with Lazlo and delays the completion date of the community center, which is prolonged. Lazlo insists the community center be made with marble over concrete, which is a cheaper material. Both men end up traveling to Italy in search of the extraordinary Carrara marble quarries—a sequence that comes in the second part of the story, and the sequence is awe-inspiring and equally distressing that includes a deeply unsettling scene.

There are many remarkable moments in the film throughout, between each of the characters, and they speak volumes on so many levels. Brody establishes the László character with kindness and gentleness, but Corbet examines the harshness of the world around him that always benefits the upper class. Corbet delivers a gripping presentation of these brutalities without ever feeling like a heavy-handed polemic. He maintains the tension between László and Harris throughout the narrative, and the craftsmanship of Corbet’s visual style has the scope of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather II, Orson Welles Citizen Kane, and Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. The imagery is stunning, the compositions that are shot under VistaVision imagery are uncanny, and Lol Crawley’s cinematography holds the texture of 70s Bernardo Bertolucci films. In other words, The Brutalist is a monumental cinematic treasure.

'The Brutalist'

Courtesy A24 Films

One particular moment is the opening shot of the boat arriving at Ferris Island; we hear noise and chatter as we walk with Lazlo in silhouette as the Statue of Liberty is seen distorted and upside down as Daniel Blumberg’s music plays in the background—it brings a suggestion that the American dream holds so much hope and is noble, but there is so much facade, as much of it is indeed co-opted by the ultra-elite. A theme that has played before to great impact before in P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood and Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher.

The Brutalist, Corbet’s third feature, is written by his girlfriend, Mona Fastvold. It’s an original screenplay, not based on a novel, even though it holds the texture of a great novel. Like Corbet’s Vox Lux, the vastly underrated 2018 film that made my top 10 list in 2018, it’s a story that taps into the fabric of our nation. Where Vox Lux tapped into themes on the price of fame, addiction, and society’s obsession with greed and the price people pay for celebrity worship, The Brutalist covers similar terrain, but it feels more cohesive and focused. The film also covers three decades just as Vox Lux does as well. As The Brutalist unfolds, it ends up also covering the importance of courage and staying vigilant. To not back down, and to stay strong to convictions which not only László does with staying true to his architecture and vision, but Erzsébet stays on her husband’s side. Which includes a brilliantly stage scene where she confronts Harrison Van Beuren in front his family about his abuses that went on in Italy. She is far from being complacent, and The Brutalist examines the importance of combating against complacency, especially when people have all the wealth and power.

At its core, The Brutalist is a vast, sweeping American epic. Corbet isn’t interested in covering familiar ground with familiar beats. There is a singular vision that unfolds with a prologue and two chapters of engrossing storytelling with a 15-minute intermission that feels refreshing. The human drama absorbs in equal measures due to the impressive writing, directing, and first-rate performances across the board. Moreover, it’s immensely satisfying to see a film about a troubled friendship growing, evolving, and sadly regressing due to conquest and power. This is Brody at his most vulnerable, and you can sense Brody, along with the rest of the cast, bringing a strong connection to the work. That is a testament to Corbet’s directing style and immense skill. At just age 36, with now three features under his belt, Corbet is proving to be a great director that will hopefully continue to make films of this caliber again. It’s a euphoric experience, a colossal American masterpiece that will forever haunt me due to its visual grandeur, themes, and vastitude. The Brutalist is great news for the future of American cinema.

THE BRUTALIST is now playing in limited theaters and will expand to more theaters on January 26th, 2025