Brutal. That was how I had already decided how I was going to describe Brady Corbet’s (The Childhood of a Leader, Vox Lux) The Brutalist, regardless of what I thought about it. With a runtime of three hours and forty-five minutes (plus a 15-minute intermission), I asked myself before my theater viewing, “Why am I seeing this?” The answer is not because I had any interest in seeing it but because it had been nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actor (Adrien Brody – The Pianist, The Jacket), Best Supporting Actress Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, On the Basis of Sex), and Best Supporting Actor Guy Pierce (Memento, The King’s Speech). I saw it in the theater because I was told by content creators I follow that the viewing experience had to be in the theater as Corbet shot the film using VistaVision. This process involves shooting the film horizontally on 35mm film stock to achieve a higher-resolution image for large screens. I wouldn’t have noticed a difference if I had not learned this beforehand.
The Brutalist spans the years 1947-1960 in two segments. It tells the story of László Tóth (Brody), a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and skilled architect who emigrates to the United States and seems only to encounter misfortunes in pursuing the American Dream. The Brutalist reminded me of There Will Be Blood, the 2007 rise-to-fame story of a silver prospector turned oil tycoon that earned Daniely Day-Lewis his second Best Leading Actor Oscar to Brody’s portrayal of László, a furniture salesperson struggling to make ends meet to a renowned, influential architect. This performance led to his second Best Lead Actor Oscar. If you think of a more subdued and, dare I say, even more methodical version of There Will Be Blood, you’ll have a pretty good idea of where this movie begins and goes. If I compare the two sides, There Will Be Blood is the better film, with a stronger story and more memorable performances. It did all of the same things as The Brutalist. Only it did all of these things better.
After he arrives from Budapest, László connects with his cousin, Attila (Alessandro Nivola), in Philadelphia. After working some odd jobs, the pair lands a project with Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn – Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Harriet), hiring them to renovate his wealthy father’s Harrison (Pierce) study into a library as a surprise gift. He is furious with his son, firing László and Attila on the spot in Harrison’s first overt display of dominance over all he encounters.
Later, when his rage has diminished, Harrison realizes his admiration for László’s recreation of his home’s room and capitalizes on his talent by hiring László back. This allows him and his team to construct a community center in honor of his mother, including a gym, library, theater, and chapel.
In the second half, a commercially successful and now heroin-addicted László is reunited with his wife, Erzsebet (Jones), and their niece, Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy – Allied, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). As it has been over five years since they’ve seen one another, László and Erzsebet aren’t the same people they remember from Budapest. The love is still there. However, László is a win-at-all-costs industrialist, while Erzsebet suffers from Osteoporosis, rendering her wheelchair-bound. Also, Zsofia is mute. László’s vocational accomplishments and dreams come to a halt. It’s as if each time he seems closer to reaching his dream; he’s reminded in unique and familiar ways about where he comes from and what the ceiling of all things good is that he will never achieve.
The Brutalist was a miss as a whole. Movies should not be longer than 150 minutes. Anything longer should be split into two movies or, better yet, made into a series for television streaming. Options for those are more frequent than ever. For me, the perfect movie is around 110 minutes. A film at 205 minutes, regardless of the 15-minute intermission or night, will not interest me. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Never again. An epic-length movie always gets nominated for Best Picture. They are rarely good and, if I’m being honest, wouldn’t be good even if they were shorter. It feels like there is a requirement that at least one movie each awards season is long and dull. The Brutalist is 2024’s candidate.
While I do believe a majority will be similar to me about the film, there will undoubtedly be a group that will think this is the big movie of the year. It is something that I would understand. If you have the patience for a story that you think will end a certain way but are curious about the hype, The Brutalist provides opportunities for in-depth character development and examination, the exploratory examination of trauma through the lens of art design and construction, the universal, unspoken wars of art versus trade. This is on top of the film’s striking cinematography. It makes the architectural structures feel like supporting characters of post-WWII America and shows how different it feels between a self-entitled U.S. citizen and an immigrant.
Plot 7/10
Character Development 9.25/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 9.25/10
Screenplay 6.75/10
Directing 8/10
Cinematography 9.5/10
Sound 8/10
Hook and Reel 4/10
Universal Relevance 7/10
77.25%
C-
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