The Brutalist (2024)
Directed by: Brady Corbet
Premise: Set in the postwar era, a Jewish architect (Adrien Brody) emigrates to the United States. He meets a wealthy client (Guy Pierce) and oversees an ambitious community project.
What Works: The Brutalist is very well crafted. The imagery is frequently beautiful in a way that reflects the protagonist’s architectural style. The title refers to Brutalist architecture, which was popular in the postwar era. The designs of the film’s fictional architect have a smooth and stripped-down simplicity. The film’s cinematic style is much like this, using the beauty of the natural landscapes and light. The production design is also well matched with the subject. The whole picture has a gritty realism to it but there is also an immensity of scale. Although this film doesn’t have epic scenarios it nevertheless feels large due to the cinematography and the design. The Brutalist has a few interesting performances, namely by Adrien Brody and Guy Pierce. Brody plays László Tóth, an immigrant finding his way after the war. Brody’s performance is quiet but says a lot through his gestures and facial expressions. The character never elaborates on his experiences during the war but the trauma is evident throughout Brody’s performance. Guy Pierce plays industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren and Pierce plays the role as an aristocrat. Pierce’s vocal performance in particular is very effective. Daniel Blumberg’s score is also quite good. A few musical pieces are big but most of the score is delicate and underlines the human qualities of the story.
What Doesn’t: The filmmaking craft of The Brutalist is quite impressive but it’s all scaffolding on what is ultimately a pretty hollow and pedestrian story. The Brutalist is emotionally flat. The story plays in two halves (there is a fifteen-minute intermission in its 214 minute run time) and the first half is devoid of tension. László Tóth arrives in the United States and after some initial difficulties his life and work proceed smoothly and with little resistance. The second half is more dramatic but in ways that are forced and don’t grow organically out of the characters or the action. As an immigrant story, we’ve seen a lot of this before; The Brutalist doesn’t add anything new to these kinds of stories nor does it offer any unique insights. Despite its considerable length, the story feels like pieces are missing. There are big leaps in the plotting.
Bottom Line: There is a lot in The Brutalist to recommend it and it is a well-made picture but this is ultimately a superficial work. It’s like a well-crafted box that doesn’t contain much of anything.
Episode: #1034 (February 2, 2025)