2024 has been a terrific year for films in that it’s introduced me to quite a few new filmmakers whose work I’ve seen for the first time, but certainly wouldn’t be the last. Brady Corbet is one of them, who got his start as an actor in the early 2000s.

The title refers to Brutalist Architecture which focuses on simple designs that highlight raw building materials and structural features instead of decorative design. There’s a brilliant duality in its title. On one hand, it’s about the architectural concept, and on the other it describes savagery, something cruel and barbaric. The dictionary also describes brutal as ‘direct and lacking any attempt to disguise unpleasantness’ which is an apt definition for how key characters behave in this film.

The script by Corbet and his co-writer/partner Mona Fastvold is broken in two chapters. It begins with The Enigma of Arrival. Its opening scene drops viewers in the belly of a ship bound to America, but we can barely make out anything as we hear people rushing and shoving, with sounds of heavy breathing that make you feel claustrophobic. Then suddenly we see light as the door opens and its protagonist László Tóth (Adrien Brody) on a boat deck, seeing the Statue of Liberty for the first time. The fact that the statue is shown upside down seems to be a harbinger of things to come.

The year is 1947 and Tóth has survived the brutal Holocaust, forcing him to be separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones). Upon Tóth’s arrival in Philadelphia, his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) greets him and tells him Erzsébet is alive, though she’s held up at the Austria/Hungary border. László’s reaction to this news feels so piercingly raw and real, it’s quite heart-wrenching to watch.

László is housed by Attila who enlists his help with his furniture business. We first see László’s brilliance as an architect when Attila nabs a gig from a wealthy client, spoiled brat Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) who tasks them with renovating his father’s library. Laszlo transformed the library into a sleek, thoroughly modern space that leaves me in awe. Despite that, the job goes south when Harry’s dad, a monster of a man Harrison (Guy Pearce) goes fully mental and fires everyone. László part ways with Attila and takes a job as a construction worker, finding a new ally in Gordon (Isaach de Bankolé), a Black single dad whom he met on a soup kitchen line.

On a strange turn of events, Harrison tracks László down upon learning he’s a famous Bauhaus architect in his native Hungary. Just like that, László ends up working for the Van Buren once again, this time to design a vast, complex community center to be built on a hill at the industrialist’s Doylestown property. It seems that László’s life is quickly improving as Harrison’s Jewish lawyer offers to help bring his wife and niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy) to the States. Of course, things are never simple nor easy, especially as László’s relationship with Harrison grows more curious and unsettling. It’s ominous to think about what László’s grand ambition will ultimately cost him.

The building of the center is interwoven with a voice-over of Jones’ voice as Erzsébet, tying the two lives together just as they’re about to be reunited. The built-in 15-minute intermission gives me a moment to pause while the timer ticks away, reflecting on László’s journey up to this point and readying myself for the next chapter. There is even more to unpack as the film moves to the 1950s in The Hard Core of Beauty. It opens with the arrival of Erzsébet, wheelchair-bound due to Osteoporosis. Agony and ecstasy often go together and it’s never more palpable in László’s relationship with Erzsébet as they navigate their new life together.

As one expects in a film about architecture, the production design is incredible. As the center’s structure begins to take shape, Corbet reveals László’s magnificent and innovative design, exquisitely captured by DP Lol Crawley. It’s really astonishing given that László has become a [functioning] heroin addict ever since he broke his nose on the way to the States. Daniel Blumberg’s evocative score perfectly complements his monumental journey. It’s both grand and intimate, I especially enjoy the solo piano during the quieter, more introspective moments.

I read that it took Corbet seven years to bring The Brutalist to life, clearly the filmmaker’s lofty ambition rivals his protagonist. With budget of a mere $10 million (a fraction of most superhero movies!), he’s said in interviews that he’s cut every corner in this production so that ‘…every single cent was on screen,’ I believe he achieved that, and the film looks more expensive than it is. He’s also assembled a phenomenal cast, starting with Brody who delivers one of the most touching and soulful performances of the year. I learn later that he feels a kinship with this character as he too is the son of a Hungarian immigrant. His mother escaped during the 1956 revolution, became a refugee in the United States, and just like László, she chased her dream of becoming an artist.

Jones has much less screen time here but she’s never been better as a physically frail woman with a formidable inner strength. The scene where Erzsébet brazenly confronts Harrison of a hideous crime he committed, right in front of his entire family, shows she’s no delicate flower. It’s an interesting reunion between Jones and Pearce after they played lovers in Breathe In. Pearce has played despicable men in the past, but Harrison is on another level. I’ve always thought the Aussie thespian is underrated so I’m hoping he’d get the accolades he deserves. He seems to relish in playing such a smarmy, bullish and absolute monster of a man, yet somehow Pearce makes him appear charming in his dapper sportscoat. Meanwhile, Alwyn plays a real douchebag with aplomb, a sinister, xenophobic elitist who ensures László knows his place with a simple ‘we tolerate you.’ Malevolence clearly runs in the Van Buren family.

The Brutalist truly lives up to its title in every respect. Corbet crafts a stunning tribute to brutalist architecture while exemplifying the brutal reality of being a Jewish immigrant post WWII. The story specifically centers on a Jewish immigrant but I think there is a universal immigrant experience, being ‘the other’ in an established society, that’s woven into it. Corbet puts viewers into an emotional wringer during its 3-hour 35-minute running time. While he’s at it, he also throws a severe curveball during Harrison and László’s visit to breathtaking Italian marble mines that still gives me chills. I may not catch all the metaphors Corbet infuse into The Brutalist, but if I have one takeaway, it’s a question that every artist must ask oneself. How far are we willing to go to fulfill our dreams, and would we know when the sacrifices become too great compared to what we gain? It’s a pretty unsettling idea to think about, but it’s a crucial and an honest one.

The word ‘epic’ is often overused, but I don’t think it’s a hyperbole to call The Brutalist the cinematic epic of the year. I believe it’s a shoo-in for Oscar’s Best Picture next year, as are Brody and Pearce in the Best Actor and Supporting Actor category. I’m certainly glad I got to experience this one on the big screen.

What are your thoughts on The Brutalist?

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