[CW: This article makes mention of sexual assault.]
Very few films can evoke what just a few minutes of Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” brings to the table. It is, without exaggeration, the perfect outcome of the last few years in cinema in many different regards, especially surrounding themes of human struggle against social forces. It is a behemoth of a film, integrating uncomfortable yet captivating themes such as trauma, artistic merit and the fate of Jewish people after the Holocaust. It is both epic and subtle, shot with an eye for the classics while incorporating new wave cinematography. It is a messy yet methodically built film and one that I am sure is going to survive the test of time.
“The Brutalist” follows László Tóth, an emotionally and artistically complicated architect and Holocaust survivor who comes to America following the end of World War II. Adrien Brody’s performance as Tóth is so enthralling and well-done that you truly believe the character must have been a real person even though the film is purely fictional. Brody brings a level of intense physicality to this performance that is unparalleled in its depth; Adrien Brody is László Tóth. A vast majority of the film’s gargantuan three-and-a-half hour runtime is Tóth journey in America. It begins with him separated from his wife and living with distant relatives in Philadelphia and ends with his entanglement with the eccentric industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren and Buren’s two children.
The Van Burens are reminiscent of the Buchanans from “The Great Gatsby” with their posh attitudes and dedication to the WASPy upper class society they inhabit. Harrison Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce, is an exuberant and obsessive divorced patriarch who rules over a giant suburban estate with his two children Harry and Martin, played by Joe Alwyn and Stacy Martin respectively. Alwyn and Pearce’s performances are next-level. In particular, Alwyn’s almost cartoonishly posh and straightforward way of speaking comes off as cute early in the film before turning menacing by the end. The other all-star performance in the film comes from Felicity Jones as Tóth’s intense and scarred wife Erzésbet. All together, the cast of the film is small yet precise and effective in both their casting but also the writing that wraps them together like strings in a tight knot. There is no character introduced that is overly complicating for the plot. Even those that permeate throughout in small ways or even just briefly appear, such as Isaach de Bankole as Tóth’s friend Gordon, never feel wasteful or excessive.
It is not enough for “The Brutalist” to have such an incredible cast; the film also excels at nearly everything else. The score is sweeping, with a perfect combination of classical instrumentation and harsh industrial motifs, reaching its apex of immersion during the film’s intermission halfway through. The use of Vista Vision, a variant of the 35mm film format dating back to the 1950s, for the film’s aesthetic is breathtaking. The effect is strange and captivating; the sharper shadows and colors creates a unique visual, such as the scenes where László wanders quarries in an Italian village. Even the most minor scenes are elevated by the popping colors Vista Vision brings, and the use of an intense yet stable camerawork for scenes such as Tóth’s first sight of the Statue of Liberty at the beginning of the film works perfectly with this formatting choice. This all combines for a viewing experience that envelops, excites and disturbs the audience. The moments where all of these elements—from character to score to cinematography—blend together seamlessly in a truly captivating plot that feels like watching a meticulously drawn painting come to life.
The theme of trauma is, surprisingly, often left behind in stories involving the Holocaust and its survivors. “The Brutalist” kicks down the door and says it should not be like this. Trauma is the guiding force of Tóth’s journey within America, coming face to face with uncertainties, betrayal, insecurities, literal and metaphorical raping by the American upper class and ultimately how to move forward in a world where he saw his people massacred in front of his very eyes. If you are Jewish, or even just invested in the idea of community after tragedy, this film is a must see. It will surely go down as a grisly but earnest take on what tragedy does to people, and will stand proudly next to pieces of work, such as the graphic novel “Maus,” in rebuking a fairy-tale happy ending to the Jewish community following the survival of the Shoah.
“The Brutalist” is not being shown in many theaters but the experience is truly worth it, intermission and long runtime included. It does something that is so simple yet truly complex, having shocking and uncomfortable scenes whilst still being earnest and emotional on a truly human level. After years of more and more films—especially from A24—pushing the human experience to new limits and areas of inspection, “The Brutalist” instead asks deeper questions while still including jokes, joy and true bittersweetness. It is a marvel of a film, deeply layered and important to the past as well as the present. I implore you, watch “The Brutalist.”