Sitting down to watch Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist should not be approached lightly. We’re not talking about the 3h35m runtime (which includes a hard-coded and very appreciated fifteen-minute intermission) but instead of the dour subject matter. Set in post-war America, The Brutalist follows the life of László Toth, a fictional architect played by the brilliant Adrien Brody, as he attempts to start a new life for himself.
That’s the gist of it. We’ll be the first to admit that it doesn’t make for very nice reading, especially while the rest of the family scoures the various streaming services in search of a fun movie night. We were surprised at how epic, tense, and accessible a film about buildings – particularly the passions they evoke in those involved – could be. Although fictional, The Brutalist plays like a biopic and a mighty interesting one at that.
Digging deep
Like Oppenheimer, the story of The Brutalist is as much about the man László Toth as it is about his mind and how it affects the rest of the world. It’s no atomic bomb – Toth’s contributions are held closer to his chest and are far more grandiose – but they’re just as impactful to everybody around him. Particularly that of Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr, played by the fantastic Guy Pearce in a role that’ll certainly secure him a supporting Oscar.
Toth, whose new and lowly life as a Hungarian immigrant running from the horrors of his homeland (forcibly, we might add) sees him arrive in America seeking a job. A family connection earns him a spot at his cousin’s furniture store where his brutalistic style attracts the attention of one Harrison Lee, who recruits Toth to design and construct the Van Buren Institute. It’s this building that shapes The Brutalist’s brilliant narrative.
Toth, fuelled by a desire to carve out a path for himself as well as his wife and niece in post-war America, both of whom are alive in Hungary and fending off the effects of World War II. We’re introduced to the man behind the concrete as well as the Institute that serves as this film’s second protagonist, offering privileged insight into Toth’s damaged psyche and later, ego.
Not a single minute of The Brutalist feels wasted, despite dragging its feet to dive into the meat of the movie. That’s partly due to the spectacular cast involved and the truly excellent words of Mona Fastvold and Corbet who share writing credit, delivering a Toth that audiences wouldn’t mind exploring over the 3h35 runtime. Even when there’s nothing visually exciting to look at, there’s something for audiences to cling to from one scene to the next.
Putting together a team
There’s no shortage of talent here. Brody delivers a certain magic to the central character of László Toth – a readily defined, almost ‘sculpted’ feeling we can’t help but feel was intentional. Whether by Brody’s methods or the careful design of the writers, it doesn’t matter. Brody gives it his all.
This goes for the rest of the cast. The talents of Guy Pearce are particularly noticeable. He plays a wealthy, cocky businessman (Harrison Lee) looking to brighten his front doorstep by throwing money in its direction. It’s clear by the film’s end just how layered this performance was, almost immediately encouraging a rewatch to catch all the little discrepancies only possible with a character like his.
Another standout performance is that of Felicity Jones, who fills the shoes of Toth’s wife, Erzsébet. Having already peeked at the exemplary cast beforehand, we spent a good chunk of the film awaiting her entrance, eventually turning up after the film’s built-in intermission. For any other movie, that wouldn’t be nearly enough time to leave an impression, but The Brutalist is different.
It’s difficult to steal a scene while surrounded by some of the greatest actors working today, but she makes a good attempt at it. Erzsébet’s character and Jones’ performance, brimming with intensity, play an integral role in opening up the mind of Toth’s character to the audience. In a film packed with monologues (and Adrien Brody), it was a surprise to see Jones deliver the most bone-chilling performance of the lot – an effort that guaranteed her a spot on the list of Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars this year.
We’ll briefly mention the efforts of Isaach de Bankolé as Gordon, Toth’s only friend throughout his time in America. While only used sparingly (which for this film equates to roughly 30 minutes of screentime), he spends much of his time reacting – and doing an excellent job of it.
Not a dry eye
As far as Brody’s unwavering presence can take The Brutalist (unsurprisingly quite far). the real hero of the film is its cinematographer, Laurie “Lol” Crawley. Shot mostly in VistaVision, a now ancient filmmaking process developed by Paramount Pictures in the 50s that captivated Crawley and Corbet, the technique emphasised the role of the architecture, thanks to its higher resolution and wider field of view.
But beyond VistaVision, Crawley’s decisions on what to do with the camera intrigued us. At odds with Toth’s brutalist design philosophy and even his own personality, the camera’s fluid movement is anything but. It rarely conforms with the film’s ideals, presenting an extra layer of creativity as we watch Toth’s raw masterpiece slowly come to life – an effect not lost on us.
Coupled with a haunting soundtrack that never took its foot off the brakes, the talents of Daniel Blumberg were never wasted. An orchestral score dominates the affair and matches up perfectly with Corbet and Crawley’s vision, often burrowing deeper in the soul than a soundtrack any right to. Swelling motifs are a common side effect for a film such as The Brutalist, inciting fire in one’s chest alongside a looming sense of dread we could never quite explain, even to ourselves. It’s simply beautiful and takes this film to the very brink.
The Brutalist verdict
Walking out of The Brutalist immediately justified the Academy’s decision to shower Corbet’s masterpiece, the star-studded cast, and the rest of the production crew in nominations for nearly every category. Don’t be surprised to see this film sweep at least a couple of awards in the coming months. If you’ve got half an afternoon to kill, we’d highly recommend you spend it in the company of The Brutalist.
The Brutalist opens in theatres this Friday, 07 February
