Movie Review: The Brutalist

Architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody) flees Budapest during World War II to escape Nazi persecution, becoming separated from his wife in the process. He makes it all the way to the United States, where he is taken in by his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) and his American-born wife Audrey (Emma Laird), who own a small Philadelphia furniture shop together.

When Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) hires them to surprise his wealthy industrialist father Harrison Lee (Guy Pearce) by remodeling his study into a proper library, they eagerly accept the high-paying commission. László completely changes the character of the room and the end result is striking in its thoughtful minimalism, but his modern, brutalist architectural style had not yet gained a foothold in America and so when Harrison arrives home unexpectedly early and sees his home in disarray he is furious, kicking the men out. Harry in turn refuses to pay them for their work and Attila casts László out of the storage closet he was “generously” letting him live in.

Now homeless, László lives in a church-run shelter alongside his friend Gordon (Isaach de Bankolé), a struggling Black man trying to raise his son. The pair are both employed at a local shipyard when one day Harrison appears looking for László. Having calmed down he has come to adore the library, even getting it featured in a prominent style publication. He apologizes profusely for his behavior, pays him the money he was owed for the project, and invites him to a party at the house where he is treated as a guest of honor, though not without some rude commentary by the other guests. At the party Harrison proposes that László lead the construction of a new community center in honor of his late mother in return for a handsome commission and the aid of his personal attorney in getting his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) to join him in the United States.

László is excited to be back at the helm of a grand architectural vision and to be reunited with his family, but things were never going to be that simple for a Jewish immigrant in 1950s America and he finds himself increasingly butting heads with those around him as obstacles are thrown in his path, while he also becomes ever more addicted to heroin. Through it all though, he never gives up his dream of seeing his project completed.

Like Ken Follett’s novel The Pillars of the Earth, The Brutalist is primarily focused on the construction of a single, grand-scale building and is filled with enough attention to detail that one could easily become convinced it’s a true story, though neither is. Production designer Judy Becker has done a stunning job at crafting spaces that highlight just how awe-inducing the oft-maligned architectural style of brutalism can be (including by me), and cinematographer Lol Crawley captures it all beautifully. Despite the ugliness of some of the characters and their actions, this is easily one of the most gorgeous movies of the year and this pair both do Oscar-caliber work here.

Speaking of awards-worthy, the cast also do an incredible job. Jones doesn’t appear until halfway through the movie but still leaves a mark as Tóth’s intelligent, caring, but long-suffering wife, making it easy to see why he would be so in love with her. Pearce is equally engaging as the mercurial, outspoken, and often cruel businessman who sees something in László’s work but who also uses his money to exert control over him, as he does with everyone in his life. As the lead though, Brody gives another brilliant performance. The excitement he feels about his art is infectious and the pain swirling within him is heartbreaking as the actor always keeps us aware of just what is going on in László’s head.

It is hard to believe that this is only Brady Corbet’s third feature film as a director. He must have been paying attention when he got his start acting in movies for acclaimed filmmakers like Lars von Trier, Ruben Östlund, Michael Haneke, Catherine Hardwicke, and Gregg Araki amongst others, because this movie is the work of a consummate professional who is able to flawlessly get their vision on the screen. The script, co-written with Mona Fastvold, is engaging, authentic, and deeply knowledgeable, making sure that every minute of the lengthy 3½ hour runtime is well used. Rounding out the package, the memorable score by Daniel Blumberg is tuned perfectly to the story it’s accentuating and even the opening and closing titles are designed to match the style.

Reminiscent of Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, The Brutalist is a sumptuous and moving look at the American immigrant experience, one man’s obsession with his art, the ways creators pour their pain into their creations, and how the demands of commerce and capital can both enable and stifle that creativity. Both epic and personal, this is a modern masterpiece and like the buildings depicted within, a true work of art. ★★★★★