The massive scale of Brady Corbet’s vision captures the uncompromising brilliance of a deeply flawed and traumatized individual down to a character study level. ‘The Brutalist’ begins after Lazslo Toft (Adrien Brody) arrives in America, his talents unknown to the world until discovered shortly after by a wealthy tycoon and lawyer, Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). In this way, we as the audience discover Toft similarly to the character. Seeing Toft at his lowest point juxtaposed to his life in Hungary as a well-respected and accomplished Bauhaus architect. Once a dope fiend and penniless, he is instructed to lead and design a mammoth project that is supposed to serve as a symbol to the Van Buren matriarch, but in reality is a symbol to his wife and children as victims of fascist ideology. It’s not the idyllic immigrant journey in terms of the plotting but ultimately showcases the power of talent in a capitalistic society. Corbet refuses to fall into lazy archetypal and trite writing around immigrant experience, telling a far more enveloping story of a complicated person.
Shot in VistaVision by Lol Crawley, this box format is the perfect conduit to experience Corbet’s epic vision for Toft’s contributions to America. For a 210-minute film, the average shot length is lower, quickening the pace and not making it feel overlong. The editing jumps around a lot with brilliant interludes of old informational Pennyslvania industry videos created by the state. It’s in the costuming, production design, acting, Corbet had a succint vision and all departments working towards an achievable world. As for the production design they, respectfully, deserve the world; The reveal of the Van Buren library is an image that will linger in my mind forever. Score, composition, lighting and production design coming together for a glorious moment. Moreover, the Daniel Blumbarg score is excellent. It ends with the best track on the score – the epilogue, but tells a story in its composition. All the crafts people coming together to create a gorgeous piece of art.
Last note, Adrien Brody delivers his heart and soul into this and becomes completely unrecognizable making the immersion into this world feel earned. The accent, the soured expression of exhaustion and distrust. His performance tells the story, on his face lies the subtleties of Corbet’s vision. Yes, he’s building a palace to a rich man’s dead mother, but it’s the minute details in the performances that dispel the real themes of Toft’s journey. Commanding the screen as he makes up the majority of the film’s screentime. As for Pearce and Felicity Jones, Pearce’s persona feels forced but still rather engaging, but not a lot expressiveness in his delivery. A stern, emotionless figure that regards a person’s status as the holy grail, he is an insatiating fellow that prefers power over others to pleasure. The scene in the mines showcases his lack of humanity, seeing Toft as a lowly representative of peoples and not as a person. As Erzsebet Toft (Felicity Jones) enters in the second half and nearly steals the show, the mood shifts drastically. Her presence is initially welcomed but eventually soured on, as all the complex character parts are flooded with her introduction. The plot does slow considerably with less grand plot beats and more homely scenes, allowing for character introspection rather than heavy emphasis on plot.
In closing, ‘The Brutalist’ will certainly be a film that grows in my subconcious over time. There’s too much to take in for one sitting. The themes expand and contrast, making them not simple to grasp without contemplation. Ask me again about this film in 5-10 years.
Review: ☆☆☆☆ (88)
Verdict:
Weird Cinema 