Shadows on the Wall | The Brutalist

The Brutalist

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir Brady Corbet
scr Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
prd Nick Gordon, DJ.Gugenheim, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews, Andrew Morrison, Brian Young
with Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Stacy Martin, Raffey Cassidy, Isaach De Bankole, Alessandro Nivola, Emma Laird, Jonathan Hyde, Michael Epp, Ariane Labed
release US 20.Dec.24,
UK 24.Jan.24
24/US Focus 3h35

VENICE FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

Is it streaming?

Shot in 70mm VistaVision, this hugely ambitious dramatic epic looks absolutely glorious, and it also features tremendous performances from fine actors who fully inhabit a range of unusually complex characters. Filmmaker Brady Corbet frames the life of a brutalist architect as a pointed and provocative fable about American history. And despite its four-hour length (including an intermission), it feels nimble and pacy, building a powerful sense of momentum.

In 1947, architect Laszlo (Brody) escapes from post-war Hungary to America, but his beloved journalist wife Erzsebet (Jones) and young niece Szofia (Cassidy) are stuck behind the Iron Curtain. His cousin Attila (Nivola) helps him settle in Philadelphia, but Laszlo clashes with Attila's wife (Laird), moving into a homeless shelter with his friend Gordon (De Bankole). A twist of fate draws the attention of the wealthy Harrison (Pearce), who hires Laszlo to build a community centre in honour of his mother. And this gives Laszlo a chance to finally bring Erzebet and Szofia to America.

At this point in the story, we pause for the intermission, after which things begin to crank up in ways that really shouldn't be surprising. But they are because we are so invested in these people and their intertwined lives. There are several other key characters, including Harrison's twin adult children (Alwyn and Martin), who have distinct reactions to their privilege. And each scene carries a stinging display of the power dynamics that are at work, including underlying bigotry that emerges in a number of harrowing moments.

Performances bristle with intensity, as each person struggles to maintain dignity and control over their life. Brody has a stony presence as the intelligent, wary Laszlo, who turns to heroin to get through the tough times. He creates vibrant connections with De Bankole's genuinely caring Gordon and Jones' fierce, knowing Erszebet. But the central relationship is his prickly bond with the imperious Harrison, a career-best performance from Pearce that balances ruthlessness, compassion and internal pain.

As the story traverses a decade (and more), people come and go like they do in real life, propelling Laszlo's journey forward with a riveting sense of momentum. While watching this may feel a bit like binging on an addictive TV series, this is a purely cinematic experience, engulfing and sometimes overwhelming in its emotional and thematic energy. So even if the film's final punchy act is somewhat rushed, its ideas ripple strongly, challenging us to examine our motives.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 11.Nov.24

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.