From the moment The Brutalist‘s opening scene rolls, you know there is some magic in the air. A frantic camera follows Adrien Brody’s Laszlo Toth as he navigates the tight spaces of an emigration ship landing at Ellis Island in New York. It feels claustrophobic and intense and sets the stage for a film that tells of a deep desire to live the American dream. But The Brutalist also examines what it means to pursue that dream and the dangers that can arise in the ugly underbelly of America for immigrants. It’s undeniably a topic at the forefront of discussion even today that deserves to be explored. As Toth lands at Ellis Island, an upside down shot of the Statue of Liberty seems to shine as if a beacon of hope for those on that boat.
Over the course of 3 and a half hours, we get to see the struggles and triumphs of Laszlo Toth as he navigates what it means to be an immigrant in a new country, starting from scratch in a place where people clearly don’t want you to be there. Initially, when Toth lands in America, he makes his way to Philadelphia where his cousin Attila and his american wife Audrey are. They own a furniture shop and hire Laszlo as a furniture maker/designer and give him a place to stay. While all seems fancy and nice, however, slowly writer/director Brady Corbet reveals that Audrey doesn’t take too kindly to immigrants. She hates Toth and only likes Attila because he has shed nearly all of his immigrant roots.
When the cousins are hired by the son of a wealthy industrialist to renovate their father’s library, the problems only exacerbate. The father, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) arrives home to see the work and kicks them out. He doesn’t appreciate the work they do. Attila fires Laszlo after this and following repeated manipulative moves by his wife, and suddenly Toth finds himself on the streets, now struggling. Once a proud, well renowned architect in his home country finds himself stuck in a meaningless construction job. In these scenes we really get to sit with Toth, and thanks to a wonderful performance from Adrien Brody, I felt like I could really understand the pain he is in at this point in his life. The numbness to his situation, where he now just intends to get by through whatever means necessary.
It’s at this point that Corbet cuts ahead three entire years to show Toth, now a heroin addict, still struggling to make ends meet. He lives in charity housing and works construction. One day, though, Van Buren seeks him out to invite him to lunch. After researching his work, he formally asks Toth to spearhead a project for his community in designing and building a community center in honor of his late mother.
As the rest of The Brutalist unfolds, Corbet shows just how manipulative and evil some people can be, especially in the name of wealth and in the face of immigrants. Van Buren, although pleasant on the surface, seemingly intends to use Toth as a means to an end. He sees the project in terms of dollar signs and the architect as a way to get there. Toth is happy to work again, but he sees the way Van Buren and his rich family and friends look at him. When he tells them stories, they look upon him with pity, like a dying friend trying to reminisce before his last breaths. Yet, through all of it, Brody encapsulates the hope that Toth holds onto in achieving his ultimate goal: to bring his wife and niece to America to live a free life. It’s a masterful representation of the immigrant story.
As the intermission hits, the film lets you sit with that hope. Toth’s wife Erzsebet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) arrive and all seems well. But an intense dinner scene with Van Buren, his son Harry (Joe Alwyn), his daughter Maggie (Stacy Martin) and their rich friends once again shows how these rich white folks look down upon the “meager” immigrants. It’s clear they think so little of Toth and his family. They have no true power. Sure, Toth uses a semblance of power over the design and construction of the community center, but The Brutalist very clearly shows that it’s Harrison that really pulls the strings.
What I love about The Brutalist beyond its message is how masterfully it was shot. Cinematographer Lol Crawley captures intimate emotions through his camera work. This is the first film since 1961’s One-Eyed Jacks to be filmed exclusively in VistaVision and it shows. Corbet argued that it was the best representation they could get for that time period. It was a gamble that paid off incredibly well. There’s a vintage look and feel to the film unlike anything I’ve seen in many years.
That work is paired with gorgeous production design across the board, from the mansion that the Van Buren’s reside in, to the harsh designs and structure of the community center all give off the look and feel of 1950’s America.
Brady Corbet has advocated at length for the viability of a 3.5-hour movie to be at the forefront of film. While I agree that The Brutalist is a masterpiece visually and in telling its story, I have to admit too that it is quite long. I feel the story could have been told in a shorter frame. The second half of the film, post intermission, solidifies that for me. Part 1 is near perfect, but as part 2 plays out, some issues with the story and keeping the energy up to par with the stellar first half arise. These are issues that even a 2.5-hour movie may not have.
Consequently, too, it is inevitable that a movie of this length will turn many viewers off to the film. This isn’t an Oppenheimer, where a 3 hour movie is uplifted by a huge budget, in demand actors and a director arguably at the top of his game. To think that this film is 30 minutes longer and doesn’t have those aspects going for it hurts it to a degree for general audiences, I think.
Final Thoughts
The Brutalist is undoubtedly one of the best films of 2024. Made for a tiny budget (comparatively) and with a huge vision, it largely succeeds. The acting is great, the cinematography keeps me hooked, and the story really works. However, it’s so long that I think many audiences will have trouble really investing in it. This is a prime example of a “cinephile’s movie”; one that will appeal to audiences that love out of the box, non-mainstream films. For the general populace, it may not connect as much. As it stands though, Brady Corbet’s masterful vision of “The American Dream” stands out amongst a crowded list of great films this decade.