Holocaust survivor films have been around for a while, so, while the stories are important to tell, they may seem over done. However, “The Brutalist” brings something new to the table. This story about the ups and downs of an architect, who is also a Holocaust survivor is quite innovative and it has grabbed the attention of many people, including Oscar votes. With Adrien Brody recently winning Best Actor at the Oscars for the “The Brutalist,” along with the film picking up two other wins for cinematography and score, more people are taking notice of this film and want to know if it is worth the recognition. Now, the task of figuring that out is easier said than done, as the film is easier said than done. Fortunately, there is a small intermission in the middle, but this movie is not a brisk watch by any means. That being said, the movie was worth watching as there were many gripping moments and intriguing characters. Of course, it is not the most thrilling film, so you may want to make sure you are fully awake before you see this movie, or you may feel all of those hours. Nevertheless, I was awake the whole time and my eyes stayed on the screen. Released in theaters on Dec. 20, “The Brutalist” is a powerful tale that is up front about difficulties that can be found in a brand new American life.

The film starts just after the Holocaust, where German architect Laszlo Toth (Brody) has arrived in America by ship. Unfortunately, he was separated by force from his wife Zsofia (Felicity Jones) just before leaving. When he arrives in America, he meets up with his cousin, a furniture salesman, Attila (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Audrey (Emma Laird), with whom he will be living with. Laszlo joins Attila in the furniture business, and one day they are approached by Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) about renovating his father Harrison’s (Guy Pearce) home library. Laszlo and Attila get to work, with Laszlo using his architecture experience to redesign the space. Although Harrison is annoyed by the surprise changes at first, leading to Atilla kicking out Laszlo, he sees something special in Laszlo’s designs, and hires him to build the Van Buren Institute, a community center, library and theater. This decision takes Laszlo from poor living to a life of good pay, decent home and power. However, this seemingly fantastic opportunity goes south soon as Laszlo deals with difficulties from Harrison and Harry, various setbacks in his work, a growing heroin addiction, and overall ostracization due to his identity. In addition, when his wife arrives in America, some difficulties in their relationship and new lives start to unfold. In a harrowing tale that takes place over decades, the Toths learn that when an opportunity is too good to be true, that opportunity can actually be too sinister to believe.

So, the question on most people’s minds is whether or not Brody deserved winning Best Actor. While there were many other actors from this past year whose performances I loved, I am not upset about Brody winning. The actor put in an extraordinary performance and gave this film all of his energy. For several hours, Brody is showing the rise and fall of a struggling man with goodness in his heart, even if he makes some poor choices. There is nothing about Laszlo that particularly stands out, as his origin story is a common one, but Brody still makes the character feel brand new with his portrayal. Brody took the audience on an enthralling adventure, from the relief of escaping to America, to the struggles of finding work to the joy in getting a job and reuniting with his wife to facing the newest pressures in hiding to his breakdown towards the end. It takes a talented actor to show a natural journey through all of those emotions and situations, and Brody is that actor. I also have to praise Pearce, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his part. Pearce nailed the wolf in sheep’s clothing demeanor. However, what was especially interesting about the way he did that is he made audiences suspicious from his angry entrance, and there always seemed to be something a little off about his smugness, but he was still able to hide what he was fully capable of. More of Harrison was revealed over time to Laszlo and to the audience, and Pearce made the false sense of security work. Harrison was a true villain, but a villain that was a bit of an enigma, and Pearce was able to show many fascinating layers of this character. I also want to share my appreciation for Alwyn, whose character was also a villain in this film. Alwyn played his character’s smugness perfectly, with practically every line out of his mouth feeling calculated. It is the type of performance that makes you want to yell at the character and tell him off, which shows that Alwyn did a great job. Then, without spoiling the ending, I will say that Alwyn’s last scene was where his skills got to shine, with his character no longer holding back. I hope we get to see Alwyn in more parts like this one soon. Now, if I am talking about the main actors of this film, I feel like I have to talk about Jones, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. While she does a terrific job at some of the crying scenes/emotional moments, I did not find her acting to be that interesting. It is hard to describe, but while some of the other actors pulled me in fully in their performances, I felt a real distance between myself and Jones. Naturally, she has a true talent, but she was not memorable to me and I did not get excited by what she did in this film. Even so, this movie is made up of a great ensemble overall, and the vast majority held on to my attention during this movie.

An important thing to note about “The Brutalist” is that it is gorgeous. A lot of that beauty is thanks to the film’s talented director Brady Corbet. A lot of the beauty of this film is due to the fact that this film is centered around the architecture industry. The filming of various designs, particularly when the library is being redesigned at the beginning is aesthetically pleasing. Also in the bigger projects, even though the artsiness would be added later, seeing how everything is organized and the structures being put up is still a wonderful sight. In addition, the film itself is gorgeous, as it uses color, music and natural-looking scenery to make the film look like it was shot in the 1940s and 1950s. Everything is framed precisely, putting the audience into this world. Corbet is also able to portray various emotions in his scenes, putting intensity into the emotional moments and brightness into the more optimistic moments. He also lingered on certain gorgeous parts of the setting, such as the fast trains or big hills, as a way to have the audience linger on certain moments, letting the preceding scenes linger in their heads. Of course, the score needs to be mentioned as well when talking about the power that this film brings. As mentioned before, the film won Best Score, and it certainly deserves it. While the filming style helped with the intense punches, it was the score that made this film feel like an epic. The sweeping music, the dark sounds, and all other parts of the score that framed the film in certain ways helped the movie seem larger than life. It drove home why certain scenes mattered, and brought the viewer into the minds of Laszlo, as well as other characters to show their thought process. The score added to the directing to make this film potent. The film was made on a 10 million dollar budget, which is already fairly low for a Hollywood film. For a three and a half hour epic, this budget is shocking. Everything about the way this film is framed makes it seem like it would be much more expensive. Nevertheless, Corbet knew what he was doing when shooting this film, and he was able to use minimalist styles and choices to make the film feel maximalist. When the little elements work together, it can create a captivating masterpiece. Other directors wanting to make a period piece should take note, as Corbet figured out how to go above and beyond without feeling the need to go extravagant in his purchases.

In a film that is three and half hours, there are naturally a lot of plotlines packed inside. Were all of those plotlines necessary for the story, and did “The Brutalist” need two acts? First of all, I want to say that the film before the intermission is better than after the intermission. Introducing the intriguing characters, showing Laszlo’s acclimation into the United States, and all of the interactions leading up to Harrison hiring Laszlo were fascinating and intense. Particularly, the first couple of scenes between Laszlo and Harrison were the most interesting. These scenes were the ones that kept me curious. In fact, I would say that the first act did not even feel like it was an hour and forty minutes. I would say that it felt more like it was only a little under an hour, it was that spellbinding, and it created excitement for the second act. To be clear, I am not saying that I strongly disliked the second act. I think it was perfectly fine, and it was able to answer many questions and tie up some loose ends from the first act. After all, it is not as if the first act could stand on its own as a movie, it needed the answers. However, in this second act, it felt like the movie already peaked, and everything started to go downhill. Characters were making poor choice after poor choice, with some characters feeling more villainous. People’s lives were becoming sadder and there were depressing twists coming from left and right. This film was clearly not going to be a happy one, but it felt like Murphy’s Law was in effect in the second half: if anything can go wrong, it will. There was no intrigue being built up, as the stories were either coming down or popping up quickly, not allowing for the intrigue. The second act of this film is where some story cuts could have been made, as some depressing moments could have been left on the chopping block. I would not necessarily say I would cut that much, but maybe it could have gone from three and a half hours to slightly under three hours. What I mean by that is that even with some unfavorable moments, this film had a lot of important moments popping up throughout the film, showing the intensity of Laszlo’s life. There was a bit of filler, but Corbet, who was also the screenwriter, clearly had a lot to say and also felt like putting Laszlo through the ringer, leading to substantial dialogue taking place in most of the film. So, even though this film is depressing and the film reaches its high point earlier, you should not let the long runtime of the film scare you. It may seem like a lot, but as long as you get comfy and pay attention from the very beginning, the movie will draw you in for the duration. There is too much significance in the movie’s scenes for you to be bored, and, while watching, you remain curious about what will happen next. 

A historical epic about a famously depressing time can be catnip to the critics and Oscar voters, so it is not surprising that “The Brutalist” got a lot of attention in the industry. I will say that while this film does have flaws in its story, with other films from last year having better stories, “The Brutalist” has earned its positive acclaim. It is exciting and can pull at your heartstrings. While the story is one of a Jewish man trying to chase the American dream, anyone can connect to this story, as there many people out there who have been beaten down by life and get in over their heads when all they want to do is become a success. Usually, people do not become as beaten down as Laszlo, but the themes are all still there for a connection. Something else to appreciate about this film is that it feels timeless. This film could have been released twenty years ago, and it probably would have also been a best picture contender. For that matter, it probably also would work as a contender twenty years from now. While there was innovating taken with the directing, sometimes an enduring story is what the people want. In my opinion, at its core, the enduring plot and message of “The Brutalist” works. Furthermore, when combined with the style and aesthetics used, everything about the film feels like pure art. So, if you want to see an emotional tale about the struggles of immigrating to America, or you want to see an artfully directed period piece, watch “The Brutalist” today.