The Brutalist - Movie Review
The Brutalist - Movie Review
Critics Score - 10 of 10
General Audience Score - 8 of 10
SYNOPSIS - This vision of America begins as we hear a woman screaming and the camera opens in a room in which we watch Zśofia (Raffey Cassidy) as she walks in and is told by a man to calm down and sit. She looks over at the man we do not see, her face clearly distressed, the man orders her again to sit and she does as she’s told, sitting down at a small table in front of a window. The questioning begins as the young woman begins breathing heavily, she stares ahead and down, perplexed, her body shaking as the voice asks about the lady that dropped her off, her mother, her address in Budapest and all manner of things about her identity. As the shot lingers, another overlapping shot begins to appear, this one set maybe eight or ten feet behind the first, we see the narrow room with Zśofia sitting at the table with the window behind her.
Suddenly the scene cuts, we hear a woman reading a letter which starts with “László, I am alive”, and we see the face of László Tóth (Adrian Brody), he’s mostly shrouded in darkness. A man yells “Come on! Documents”, as László awakens, gathers his things and begins to navigate through crowds of people, also in relative darkness, only occasional light coming in through windows illuminating him and his fellow travelers. Over the next two minutes we hear as the letter continues being read, László has not seen the letter yet but it tells of his wife and niece and their struggles, we listen as we follow him navigating though the corridors of people and climbing staircases until he finally emerges on the deck of the ship that’s been carrying him across the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. The score of trumpets and clashing symbols rings into our ears as he grabs the shoulder of another man and laughs, the camera spinning wildly and finally settles on the Statue Of Liberty upside down. The striking imagery of the shining symbol of the land of the free is upside down, the intentionality of the camera showing us something from a different perspective is apparent right from the jump. After a moment the statue is sticking at an angle out of the left side of the screen, now moving again and it’s on the right. László has arrived in America and the letter from his wife Erzsébet Tóth (Felicity Jones) concludes with, “Go to America and I will follow you. Faithfully, Erzsébet.”.
We’re then taken into a room with large windows running up and down either size, a large group of presumably Jewish immigrants is being processed for entry into the U.S. by customs. A following camera shot of the 1950’s era city skyline changes to night as a bright white and light blue neon sign that says rooms is seen, women wait outside, one raises her skirt showing some leg in an attempt to get a new customer. László takes her up on her offer and they converse as she pulls his pants down and works to get him aroused before the scene ends. But the next day he catches a bus to Philadelphia, the original score ticks away as we watch the bus driving through farmland until László meets his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) who gives him news of the letter that we heard being read over the introduction. Twelve minutes into the film and we’re given one of the greatest pieces of acting from the entirety of the 2024 year in cinema.
Eventually Attila, who is a furniture maker, is contracted for a job for the incredibly wealthy Harrison Van Buren (Guy Pearce), and the former architect László helps design an innovative layout for Harrison’s library, book collection and reading room. Harrison, while initially put off by the changes made to his home, eventually comes around, seeks out László and finds out what his previous profession was as an architect. After speaking to Lázsló extensively, introducing him to his friends of stature, Harrison employs him for a massive project for the small community of Pennsylvania that his home resides in. As the story evolves, eventually Erzsébet and Zsófia join László in the States, but not without some difficulty. As this cautionary tale of immigration and the search for a better life moves into the second and especially the third act, the pessimism creeps into this tale like darkness takes over a night sky. While the film doesn’t go out on a high note per say, the highs and lows of this reality we refer to as the “American dream” hits as heavy and simultaneously devastating as any film you could’ve put on the screen.
The direction of this film is my favorite from any of 2024. Brady Corbet’s vision is singular, epic and unparalleled, even among astounding achievements in cinema this from the likes of Denis Villeneuve with Dune 2 or Coralie Fargeat with The Substance. Corbet brings a mid 20th century world to life, where America was the land of opportunity in some ways for many immigrants escaping post World War 2 Europe. Corbet worked on this film for over half a decade and his perfected vision finally realized is utterly incomparable to anything else I’ve ever seen, especially the first half. While the second half and the final act works it’s way into the bleaker aspects of the story, as I mentioned, the film doesn’t leave us on a high, as is often the case with many people’s experience with immigration to the United States. Brady’s script is expertly crafted to navigate the hopeful optimism of the first act with some of its sequences of joy and adulation as it depicts what these characters felt at escaping repressive regimes. Then they’re juxtaposed with these characters eventually encountering the more dower and sinister aspects of American society. The reality for most is that the American dream is not without its darker side. Some of the sequences were so powerful and moving it was hard to not be completely slack jawed at times. But the cast that has been assembled here is second to none. It really is amazing to think that Adrian Brody could repeat the quality of his Oscar winning performance for The Pianist from twenty years ago, but here we are. Felicity Jones is terrific in her supporting roles as his spouse, although we don’t see much of her until the second half. What Guy Pearce is putting into his performance is so good that I’ll be baffled if it somehow misses an Oscar nomination next week. From a technical perspective, this film is stellar in virtually every aspect. The production design is staggering, the cinematography is beautiful and the editing is excellent, especially the first couple hours, time seems to absolutely fly by. Despite the film being over three and a half hours long, it does come with a built in fifteen minute intermission that helps to break it up a bit. Although the second half isn’t quite as riveting as the first, much like There Will Be Blood, the film does not falter and delivers an ultimately contemplative and sobering finale to its epic story. The original score by Daniel Blumberg sweeps you up in its dramatic melodies and is as grandiose and astounding as the film that plays alongside it. You should make it a point to catch The Brutalist as it begins releasing wide here in the United States over the next few weeks, it is hands down my favorite film of 2024.
SUMMARY - A24 has done it yet again, the craft and filmmaking Corbet and company put on display is remarkable in every way it possibly can be. It’s uplifting, depressing, soulful and haunting, this is a movie that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. So give The Brutalist a chance this January and check out one of the most incredible things you’re likely to see onscreen this year.
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