Films for Breakfast

To call Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist ambitious would be an understatement; a staggering historical epic clocking in at a gigantic 215-minute running time, with an intermission included in the middle. From the moment the film begins, it feels akin to gigantic epics like Amadeus or Lawrence of Arabia – films that simply told historical, character-driven stories with gigantic running times. What’s most impressive about The Brutalist is how confident it feels within itself to tell its story. There’s truly never a moment where it feels like Brady Corbet is delivering anything except a precise, masterful vision that feels incredibly hyper-specific and littered with details and layers upon layers of thematic subtext. Within the first twenty minutes, I knew this was bound to be one of the most remarkable and singular directorial efforts of the 2020s thus far.

The Brutalist follows László Toth (Adrien Brody), a visionary architect who flees from post-war Europe to America, where he hopes to rebuild his life, work, and marriage to his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. While trying to make a name for himself in Pennsylvania, Toth crosses paths with a wealthy and prominent industrialist named Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who immediately recognizes László’s talent for architecture. The two men strike up a deal to work together on a visionary, ambitious new project. It’s through this project that the story kicks into high-gear, and The Brutalist begins its journey that spans generations and continents; a true epic in every sense of the word.

Brady Corbet deserves praise and recognition for simply having the mental and physical energy to commit to a project such as this in every stage of development and production, let alone find a miraculous way to get it approved and released in a seemingly uncompromising fashion. However, on top of all the dazzling technical elements that I will surely gush over, what I find supremely fascinating is how unconventional of a story this is and how bleak the themes are. This is a fascinating yet unrelenting view of the brutality (no pun intended) of the American dream and industrial complex, the cost of greatness, and simply just a staggering view of the cost of legacy and power. The film feels dazzling and monumental in certain areas, while absolutely bleak and depressingly personal in others. I’m so fascinated by the wave of emotions the film takes you on through Toth’s journey in America, and how it never once met my expectations for where it was going.

For all the technical elements I promised I’d gush about – I found myself truly mesmerized by the cinematography. DP Lol Crawley shot the film on 35mm, and there genuinely isn’t a moment in the film where I wasn’t left slack jawed by its sheer beauty and detail. On top of the gorgeous visual style and gorgeous shots of Americana, the production design is so unbelievably massive and rich in detail that I would kill to get a chance to see this again in IMAX. Both of these elements combined create an atmosphere and portrait of American culture in the 1900s with such realism and grit, making for both the characters and the journey they’re on feel all the more authentic and lived-in. There comes a point where it simply feels like you’re no longer watching a film but truly a slice of life in American history.

As far as the performances go, Adrien Brody should be handed the Academy Award for Best Actor right now. His performance here is full of so much soul and heartache that you genuinely feel as if you’re part of his journey with him and have as much at stake as he does. By the time the film is over, it feels like you’ve lived an entire life through the vessel that is Brody’s tremendous and emotionally raw performance. Felicity Jones also turns in an impressive and vulnerable performance as László’s wife Erzsébet, greatly complimenting the story as a woman who is observant of the race for power and legacy and what it does to those who desire it. On the opposite end of Brody comes Guy Pearce, who delivers his best performance in what feels like forever. Pearce plays brilliantly off of Brody for a dynamic, dark, and subtly hilarious performance that quietly becomes the heart of the films’ core themes.

There are a few moments in the latter half of the film where the film feels as if it’s running in place rather than moving forward, and I do think I need another viewing to fully grasp how I fully feel about the final sequence in the film. However, The Brutalist is undeniably a cinematic achievement unlike anything else I’ve seen in years. The fact that the film exists is a beacon of hope for any aspiring filmmakers, as it feels like an assured and uncompromising vision to the likes of which I can only hope cinema can continually provide throughout the years. This is what the theatrical experience is all about.

4.5/5