The Brutalist is making a serious run now that we’re in the thick of awards season. Directed by Brady Corbet, the film follows an architect with a vision far ahead of his time, fleeing post-war Europe in 1947. The biggest question posed as this engineer and designer attempts to change his life is this: is this story really worth almost four hours of my life?
The answer to the aforementioned question is an emphatic “No”. The film cleaned up at last week’s Golden Globes ceremony, seeing the film notch two notable wins. Brady Corbet won Best Director and the film won Best Motion Picture — Drama. Even with its recent success, gaining continuous momentum leading up to the Oscars, there’s much to be said about the hype this film is riding.
László Tóth (Adrien Brody) arrives in the U.S. after a stressful and treacherous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. Once he arrives, he’s greeted by a shaky cousin named Attila (Alessandro Nivola). His kindness eroded over time and his true form was laid bare after a booze-infused assumption was converted into fact. The story couldn’t even begin to fully take shape before Tóth was shown fresh off the boat (literally) in a sketchy area of town getting oral sex from a prostitute.
Once things get back on track, an opportunity from a wealthy client goes from a beautiful work of art to a career-ending mistake. The wealthy client was Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Guy Pearce). The smug millionaire was more impressed with himself than anyone around him and made sure to indulge in whatever was deemed top brass. After the “mistake” in his home was deemed visionary and cutting edge by the press, he scoured Philadelphia looking for László to hire him for personal projects. Once László makes it inside Harrison’s inner circle, he gains access to attorneys, an open budget, and the freedom to express his artistic abilities… At a cost.
Adrien Brody was above average as László, but even more impressive than him was Guy Pearce. He would’ve won me over in a completely flawless performance if it wasn’t (spoiler alert) for the rape scene. Aside from it being unnecessary, it was oddly placed and eerily uncomfortable. We didn’t need to see Brody attempt sexual relations with his wheelchair-bound wife either. But I digress, Pearce gave the best performance of his career and I fear that it’s going to be overlooked.
The cinematography was the high point of the film. Lol Crawley was responsible for the film’s authentic feel, making the architecture seem more like visual poetry. Pillars and balustrades, when paired with the film’s score, felt more like ballads. There was beauty in the film even with the holes that came in the writing.
The Brutalist gets a 7.5 out of 10. The word that’s going to continuously be brought up through this awards season is “art” and its definition will be contorted and stretched to no end. Average and even terrible films have leaned heavily on art as a defense in the past six months, but that can’t be used here. Had they stuck to the story of an immigrant fleeing war-ravaged Europe for a new start in America experiencing highs and lows, it would’ve been sensational. Even adding the drug addiction was understandable because of what happened to him being Jewish under Nazi rule. All the extraneous fluff was unnecessary and just lessened the effect of a riveting story. So no, the rape scene can’t be defended under “art” and this story could’ve been told in two hours. There’s no reason this had to have a 215-minute runtime.
The Brutalist is now in theaters.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Lol Crawley
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 3hrs 35 mins.
Trailer: WATCH
U.S. Release Date: January 10, 2025