Movie Review – The Brutalist

This film, while not a true story, draws inspiration from real life events and Brutalist architectural styles. It explores the Holocaust’s impact on Jewish people, in particular one architect and his wife as he struggles to survive in a new country, America.

Adrian Brody plays László Tóth, an architect who meets Harrison Lee (Joe Alwyn) through a friend who owns a furniture store. Tóth eventually befriends Lee’s father Harrison Lee Sr. (Guy Pearce) who hires him to design a new community building. Their friendship is a toxic one even as Tóth wife (Felicity Jones) and niece arrive from post-war Europe. When their project falls apart, so does their friendship and Tóth and his wife movie from Philadelphia to New York. Eventually, Lee Sr. renews the project but brutally attacks Tóth on a trip to Italy where the were buying marble. In the end, it is Tóth’s wife who stands for him and tears the Lee family apart when they discover the truth.

At 3.5 hours, this movie is long but never boring. It has a lot to say but is never long winded in it’s themes. The acting from Pearce, Brody, and Jones is so fantastic that their characters, for all their flaws, hold the viewer’s attention constantly.

Theme wise, it explores drug addiction and depression in an era where Jewish people struggled to find a place in the world. To find their worth in places that never really feel like home. To feel accepted by people who never had to survive the Holocaust or deal with the PTSD afterwards.

There is a scene at the end of this movie where Felicity Jones as Tóth’s wife, who was wheelchair bound due to illness she had during the Holocaust, walks (with the help of a walker) into the Lee mansion and blatantly calls out the patriarch for his sins in the middle of a business dinner. This show of strength is my favorite part of the movie and made the long run time worth it. Give the woman an Oscar already.

From a technical standpoint, some beautiful cinematography and camera work. The score has a character of its own as well. There is a reason this film has earned so many nominations throughout the awards season thus far. Stellar filmmaking all around.

4.5 stars out of 5. A slow burn with great performances a big pay off at the end.