The Brutalist
The Brutalist
Starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Directed by Brady Corbet
After being forcibly removed from his wife Erzsbet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy), Laszlo Toth (Adrien Brody) boards a boat destined to America, where he's taken in by his cousin in Philadelphia and gets a job at his furniture store. An acclaimed architect in his own country, Laszlo attempts to use his talents in America, getting a job from wealthy Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alywn) to renovate his father's library while he's away, leaving Laszlo to create a whole new library in its stead. When Harry's father Harrison (Guy Pearce) arrives early, he's enraged by what's happening because he didn't know about it, and refuses to pay.
Three years later, Laszlo is now addicted to heroin and works as a laborer, living in a church, and struggling to live. He's approached by Harrison who pays him for his work, and brings him to his palatial mansion to construct a community center in honor of his recently deceased mother that'll house a library, theater, gymnasium and chapel. Laszlo sets to constructing the sprawling building, while Harrison's lawyer manages to bring both Erzsebet and Zsofia to America. As the years progress, issues arise concerning the center, and Laszlo and Harrison butt heads, with Laszlo being treated as inferior by Harry and the wealthy elite, and Harrison proving himself more and more as controlling Laszlo to do what he wants. Laszlo lives the American dream, but it's really a personal nightmare.
"The Brutalist" involves so many different themes that it's hard to keep track, but director Brady Corbet manages to juggle them all with precise precision, never dropping one ball in favor of another, and crafting an all-encompassing epic, sweeping in its time and themes, never letting one moment seem unimportant, which says a lot considering the film's 215 minute runtime.
One of the film's biggest visuals is the Statue of Liberty upside down, which was also used for most of the promotional materials, and seeing it on the big screen is in and of itself a fascinating visual. We often see the Statue of Liberty as an American icon, the first thing immigrants see entering the country, standing tall and firm, offering hope to those arriving in hopes of a better life. Here, however, it's shot upside down, signaling the overarching theme that the film gives: a warped vision of the American dream. Laszlo might've come to America hoping to find a better life, and while he does find success and happiness, he also finds soul-crushing loss, despair, and inequality.
This capitalism is what has driven America for decades, a constant quest to better oneself by propping them up higher than others, to achieve a business where you are not just self-sustaining, but wealthier than your wildest imagination would allow. We see this through Harrison, who at first seems like Laszlo's foil, but then comes to him asking him to construct his grand magnum opus in the form of a community center, but all the while maintaining a tight hold on Laszlo that's not easily seen at first. During the start of their work relationship, Laszlo doesn't really offer much in the way of intellectual conversation, but Harrison often praises their talks as very rewarding, letting Laszlo's guard down and opening him up to Harrison more than he would've otherwise. Harrison constantly berates Laszlo but does so in a polite way, such as a moment where he throws him a coin and then says he needs it back, making it seem innocent, but as the film progresses we find Harrison is not at all innocent, and wants to maintain his tight hold on Laszlo that's slowly unraveling.
The film also focuses on themes like immigration, addiction, architecture, inequality, class structure, and Zionism, all told through the eyes of Laszlo. He immigrates to find a better life, but in the process learns the dark side of America. He becomes addicted to heroin because of it, being forced to live in the poorest area, set apart from the wealthy elite and seen as lower class, even when he's granted dinner parties with Harrison and his wealthy elite, who see Laszlo almost as a circus act, someone to be gawked at for his lower class status. Laszlo, a devout Jew, also struggles with the addition of a chapel at the community center, because at first it seemed like Harrison wanted it to be a building where everyone can come regardless of religion, but by adding the Christian symbolism of the cross and a chapel in the center, seems to stray away from that notion.
The building itself is a great theme in the film, as it looks like a hollow, lifeless, soulless building with nothing inside, built with marble that feels very sterile. While grandiose, imposing and impressive, it still gives off a static feel, rather than something that feels alive. To Laszlo, architecture is something that lasts long after its creator passes, and holds to the opposite view of "it's the journey, not the destination" whereas it's the destination rather than the journey - because people will remember the destination.
Adrien Brody is known for his period work, earning an Academy Award for his work in "The Pianist," and could very well repeat that honor with "The Brutalist," where he again plays a Holocaust survivor who moves to America to pursue the American dream. He dazzles in his performance, going from pure enjoyment to pure sadness and every emotion in between with ease, but his performance doesn't come without some controversy. An AI program known as Respeecher was used during post production to correct Hungarian phrases he used, which many people falsely believed that AI was used to craft his entire voice. While that's not the case, I can see why some people would be wary due to all the issues AI has had in cinema recently, but that notwithstanding, Brody owns the role with every breath.
Likewise, Guy Pearce gives a commanding, understated performance as Harrison, a man who on the outside seems to want to help Laszlo, but under the surface there's a jealousy, and even a hate for Laszlo and what he stands for. Thinking Laszlo is becoming too big for his britches, he sets out to bring him back down, resorting to truly shocking events to accomplish this. Pearce excels at not showing all his cards, making Harrison a mysterious enigma that you can't help but admire.
Felicity Jones is, honestly, the weakest part of the film as Laszlo's wife Erzsebet. There's nothing necessarily wrong with her performance, but going up against titans like Brody and Pearce, even her strongest moments in the finale seem a bit...hollow. But even that's a bit more negative than I would like, but essentially she's just there.
Apart from the tremendous performances, the film's technical aspects are stunning as well. The film was shot on VistaVision, which is a form of widescreen cinematography employing standard 35 mm film in such a way as to give a larger projected image using ordinary methods of projection, and cinematographer Lol Crawley masterfully crafts a visual wonder, from the Statue of Liberty's upside-down shot to the construction of the center and everything else, it's wonderful to behold. Editor David Jancso edits the film to keep it fluid and natural, and Daniel Blumberg's swelling musical score echoes to your soul, especially with the Overture at the start. From beginning to end, every visual in "The Brutalist" is painstakingly crafted, making the entire experience something special to behold.
While the long runtime might deter you from watching, "The Brutalist" is one of the rare cinematic masterpieces that needs to be seen and appreciated for the unique work of art it is.
The Score: A+
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