POPZ-CULTURE Movie Reviews – The brutalist (2024)
By: Marton Szakadath
Genre: Historical drama
Rated: 18
Directed by: Brady Corbet
Written by: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce
The Aesthetics of Concrete
On the first Sunday of March, the 97th Academy Awards took place, and they were not without surprises. While most people found The Brutalist and Emilia Perez to be the frontrunners, it was Anora that ultimately took home the award for Best Picture. The competition was tight, and overall, the awards were well-deserved. Among the winners, The brutalist became our favorite.
Hollywood continues to create great productions, but it is relatively rare to see ambitious projects like director Brady Corbet’s new work. The first thing everyone says about the film is its length. Indeed: at 3.5 (!) hours long, it will put most people off watching it. We sat down in front of it with similar feelings of disapproval, but our opinions on the subject have become more balanced. We have seen a lot of movies recently that we thought were completely unreasonable to cut to more than 2 hours. For example, the latest chapter in the Toretto clan, Fast X, stretched unnecessarily to nearly 150 minutes, but even Scorsese’s latest directorial effort, Killers of the Flower Moon, was needlessly stretched to 210 minutes. The brutalist, however, belongs to the lineage of grandiose stories spanning multiple decades, like Gone with the Wind, Ben-Hur, or even There Will Be Blood.
László Tóth (Adrien Brody), an architect, escapes the horrors of World War II from his homeland, Hungary, to the United States. The hope of a new life comes when a wealthy factory owner, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), commissions him to build a grand community center. László gets the opportunity to recover from his traumas and, through his employer’s connections, reunite with his wife, Erzsébet (Felicity Jones), who remained in Europe, and his niece, Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy). However, in exchange for this generous offer, he must pay a heavy price.
The brutalist was awarded three Oscars, and each one was well-deserved. Adrien Brody has not been this powerfully present on screen since The Pianist. He portrays a man bearing the pain of the past, feeling alienated and escaping into addictions, with complete naturalness. Although Felicity Jones did not receive separate recognition, her performance is just as fantastic as Brody’s. She plays a supportive, strong woman who overcomes the horrors she faced with her emotional intelligence. The music provides a mechanical, monotonous background, but the main theme is rich in emotion. The cinematography and camera work are top-notch. It is almost unbelievable that despite the low budget, the film is full of such wonderfully visual scenes.
There are only a few negatives that we must mention. Mr. Van Buren could have received more attention. While Pearce performed admirably, his character deserved more development. This is mainly because key moments in the story are connected to him, and we did not get to know his personality and motivation thoroughly enough. The other problem is that Zsófia was almost entirely sidelined. With the presence of more experienced stars, there wasn’t enough opportunity to get to know her better.
Due to its extensive runtime, it is only shown in cinemas on a few occasions. If you have the time, feel free to attend a screening. It is an excellent drama with great performances, which is outstanding in both visual and musical aspects. Most copies include a 15-minute intermission, making it more comfortable to watch. For those who find this experience too much for one day, it will soon be available for streaming.
How did you like the film? Do you agree with the academy’s decisions? What was your personal favorite? We look forward to your answers in the comments. We’ll be back soon with another recommendation. In the meantime, watch lots of movies and series, and if you like our content, share it with others. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a delicious snack for movie and series nights, POPZ popcorn is the best choice.
