Director/writer Brady Corbet made a series of independent films and now has made an ambitious film, The Brutalist, a film that approaches greatness in its themes and acting.
László Tóth (Adrien Brody) is a Hungarian, Jewish survivor from World War II who has immigrated to the U.S. to bring his wife (Felicity Jones) and niece. An architect by trade in his home country, he scrapes by with jobs struggling to survive until he is given an opportunity to do a remodeling project that leads to a relationship with a wealthy businessman (Guy Pierce). When he is given a huge contract to build an ambitious, urban center, László’s fortunes appear to brighten until an unexpected, dark turn of events.
This drama which spans decades is noteworthy for its superior acting especially by Brody, an idealist haunted by his past and Pierce, the eccentric patriarch with a secret. In what could be a metaphor about America, this story is one of marked contrast between the rich, entitled class and disenfranchised, impoverished poor, and its themes touch upon elements of racism and how a land of opportunity and its innocence is corrupted. It’s also about the facades that people present to others that give way to a shocking, perverted truth.
The striking visuals,
beautifully shot, are
part of a consistent vision by Corbet in an epic narrative that is broken into
two parts. It is the first part where the film excels with the promise of brilliance
only to be let down to earth by its more modest second half and an
unconventional ending. Although, its 214 minute runtime can be taxing, the film
has to be admired for what it does accomplish which is far and away more than
most feature films.
****1/2
of ***** stars
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