Pop Commentary

“The Brutalist” is truly an epic and not just because it’s more than three and half hours long. It’s a beautiful and poignant depiction of a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant in search of a new life.

The film stars Adrien Brody as a visionary architect named László Toth who escapes Europe and arrives in America to rebuild his life after World War II. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where a wealthy man named Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent and recruits him to work on a massive project. The film follows László as he works to reunite with his wife and rebuild his legacy.

The film is brutally long. It took up a whole afternoon. Thankfully, it has a 15-minute intermission in the middle, which I’ve never seen before for a movie. It gave everyone a chance to stretch their legs, use the restroom and reflect on what they’d just watched before diving back in. It’s an interesting concept that I wish more studios would consider. Personally, I would rather watch a long film with an intermission than wait a year or longer for “part two” of a movie. Ahem… “Wicked.”

The film is broken up into an “overture,” “part one,” “part two,” and an “epilogue.” I normally don’t like this type of cinematic device, but director Brady Corbet did a great job at weaving them together. The separation seemed purposeful and not just convenient. 

When it comes to the acting, Brody was absolutely stellar. He was really dropped into the role, even more so than Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, who I have been rooting for to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. I think Brody will give the young star a run for his money and it will be fun to see who comes out on top on Sunday, March 2. It would be Brody’s second Oscar, having won for 2002’s “The Pianist.”

The rest of the cast is brilliant too. Guy Pearce is totally believable as the ruthless boss. And Felicity Jones gives a terrific performance as László’s wife, Erzsébet. I think it’s her best work since “The Theory of Everything,” which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination. The cast is rounded out with Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach De Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola.

Other than the acting, the star of the show for me was the cinematography. The film incorporated stunning architectural shots and unique camera angles that gave it a signature look. I even loved the film’s distinctive credits, which rolled sideways and diagonal. 

The visuals were complimented by a beautiful and memorable score that enhanced the epicness of the film. I still find myself humming the main tune that’s incorporated throughout.

The film’s plot does take a sharp turn in the final minutes, which took me off guard. For such a lengthy film, I think more time could have been allotted for that twist. I think it would have made it more impactful.

Another issue I had with the film was the use of subtitles in the beginning. It was nearly impossible to read the words that disappeared quickly from the screen while also taking in the visuals of Brody’s character arriving in America.

Others have criticized the director for using artificial intelligence to enhance the performance of the leads of “The Brutalist.” Specifically, the film’s editor, Dávid Jancsó, told Red Shark News that the filmmakers used AI tools to tweak Brody’s and Jones’ Hungarian dialogue in the film to make it sound more authentic. The film’s director addressed the issue in a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter. Corbet said, “Adrien and Felicity’s performances are completely their own. They worked for months with dialect coach Tanera Marshall to perfect their accents. Innovative Respeecher technology was used in Hungarian language dialogue editing only, specifically to refine certain vowels and letters for accuracy. No English language was changed. This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”

While I would prefer that AI not be used at all in filmmaking, I think the technology is something we’re all going to have to get used to, as it’s getting increasingly ingrained in our lives. At least in this film, it was used sparingly and tastefully. I don’t think it should disqualify anyone’s work from receiving awards, as some are suggesting.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed “The Brutalist.” It may even be my leader for Best Picture. If you love beautiful architecture, good acting and unique visuals, I think you will like it too!