NYFF62 Review: The Brutalist
Brady Corbet’s phenomenal epic provides a fascinating & compelling look into the life of fictional architect László Tóth. Performed masterfully by Adrien Brody, Tóth begins his journey arriving to America from Hungary in the aftermath of World War II. Corbet displays sensational craftsmanship from the first collection of shots. It is a close up of Brody moving around a dark area unbeknownst to the audience, with a voice over of a letter read by his wife who is left behind in Europe. The shot gets a bit more chaotic as Brody continues his path through a group of people until finally Brody steps outside and it is revealed he is underneath the Statue of Liberty, signifying the end of his trek and the beginning of his new life. I sat in Alice Tully Hall with wide eyes as Corbet’s camera flings up to reveal the Statue of Liberty. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite NYFF moments. The sheer emotion packed in to this single shot gives me chills. That set the expectations for what the rest of the film had in store. All 3 hours and 35 minutes of the runtime felt necessary to telling this unique, incredible story. Tóth’s life is a series of tumultuous events. He is traumatized by his past life, leaving his wife and niece behind in Europe, not being able to get a respectable job even though he was in a high position in Hungary as a successful architect, and falls into an unfortunate drug habit to cope with everything mentioned. It is when Harrison Van Buren re-enters Tóth’s story that gives him a lifeline. Van Buren, played remarkably well by Guy Pearce, is a wealthy elite residing in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He hires Tóth to oversee construction of a community center dedicated to his Mother who passed the year prior. Pearce plays Van Buren with a twinkle of humor, giving the audience the trope of the over-confident, too-loud rich guy, but still makes him feel grounded and interesting. It is a truly captivating performance that I feel will be even more so impressive upon rewatch. Joe Alwyn and Stacy Martin play the two adult children of the wealthy elite. Alwyn accomplishes his task he has in most of his roles as playing a petulant dick-head. Stacy Martin gives the family some humanity, but for the most part these are the rich snobs who give people life and access to wealth as quickly as they can take it away from them.
Erzsébet, played by the talented Felicity Jones, enters during the second act of the film and is immediately a force to watch. She is wheelchair bound due to an unfortunate battle with Osteoporosis but her character exhibits strength that László has yet to exhibit. She enters with her niece, Zsófia, played by Raffey Cassidy. Zsófia does not say much the entirety of the film, but you feel her presence as a scared girl in a new country quite well. Personally, I have been a fan of Cassidy since her turn in Lanthimos’ Killing of a Sacred Deer. Jones has a great ability in this film to juxtapose Brody’s physical and emotional acting. Erzsébet is more direct with her feelings and thoughts as László doesn’t really reveal what he is feeling inside. He lets the emotions pour out occasionally, yes, but I don’t believe he once tells his wife why he lashes out in anger or the sheer amount of trauma he has endured. Jones embodies this strength in an emotional climax of the film. It is in a scene towards the end of the film that Erzsébet proves she is strong and does not cower in the face of the powerful. It is a deciding moment in the film and, personally, I think the highpoint of Felicity Jones’ entire career. The combination of Brody and Jones in this film should be remembered as a high point of the decade. The Brutalist is an American epic on-par with its most prestigious contemporaries.
Make no mistake about it, The Brutalist is undoubtedly the best faux bio of the decade, surpassing Tár.
