Epic and Essential: A Review of The Brutalist

By Debby Dodds

With an intensity and breadth reminiscent of the films There Will Be Blood and The Godfather 2, The Brutalist deserves all of the awards it has received so far, and then some. It’s a complex story, with an ethos antithetical to that reductive and pedantic tale of another fictional architect, Howard Roark. Unfortunately, life is not a meritocracy. The difficulties that immigrant Jews faced as their host societies’ perpetual “others,” too often at the mercy of the privileged class -- and the generational trauma of those experiences -- are just a few of the historical truths laid bare in this movie.

At this writing, Adrian Brody has garnered a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Actor with his stunning portrayal of the Hungarian-born László Tóth. But all the actors in this film are working with their considerable talents at full throttle. Guy Pierce’s Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. will haunt my dreams as a weird Gatsby/Tom mashup. Felicity Jones doesn’t make her appearance until well into the movie, but her stoic and headstrong Erzsébet Toth leaves an indelible mark on the viewer, widening the film’s artistic scope and deepening the discomforts inherent to the story.

And what a story it is.

The Brutalist explores the deep racism and antisemitism at America’s core. It is devastatingly clear that the Jews of that era (circa 1947) were not considered “white.” Of course, László is not alone in facing harsh disrespect. His friend Gordon, a Black man, is treated disgracefully by an older white woman and deeply marginalized by others in the film. Gordon is brought to life beautifully by Isaach de Bankolé, a breathtaking talent.

Nor is the sexism of the era glossed over. It is strongly implied that Raffey Cassidy’s Zsófia is sexually molested at a picnic, and yet nobody takes action to help her receive justice; instead, the incident is shrugged off as something that just happens. Cassidy’s nuanced portrayal of Zsófia in the aftermath of this scene, along with all the tragedy she experiences in her short life, brought me to tears.

The story felt so true to life that I found myself Googling it during the intermission, even though I’d heard it was fiction. Perhaps it was actually a biopic, or at least based on a real life? But no, while Brutalism is a real and compelling architectural form, the story and all its characters are the brilliant invention of director and producer Brady Corbet, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mona Fastvold. This is not to say the film did not draw inspiration from real-life Jewish immigrants. Many articles have been written about these inspirational figures; if that’s of interest to you, as it was to me, you can learn more about them here and here.

The movie also raises many poignant questions: What cost must artists pay to pursue their passions? How much should artists try to appease their patrons in service of their artistic goals? And when does life as a creative become untenable? All these themes resonated deeply with me.

It’s a rough movie to watch, difficult not to look away at times. Even the first few scenes might make some viewers queasy, hesitant to continue. Some harsh incidents are intentionally blurred, merely hinted at, while others are ruthlessly clear. The film provokes outrage, empathy, horror, and most importantly, discussion. Bearing witness to the toxicity of Harrison Lee Van Buren, who appreciates architecture but burns with jealousy over all he cannot create himself -- and the subsequent agony of the people he abuses -- was so viscerally painful for me that by the end of the movie, my whole body ached from the strain.

Once the film becomes available to stream at home, I imagine many viewers will watch it over two or more sittings. In the theater, the running time was long enough to include an intermission. The opportunity for more frequent breaks shouldn’t lessen the film’s power and might mitigate some of the emotional turmoil, potentially giving the viewer an opportunity to digest and/or discuss the story. But whether you watch in a theater or at home, with extra breaks or all at once, The Brutalist is not to be missed.

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Debby Dodds is the author of the novel Amish Guys Don't Call: a BEST YA OF 2017 by Powell’s Books, featured in Random House’s Better with Books, and an Amazon Top 100 in a YA category. Debby has stories in thirty anthologies including the NY Times best-selling My Little Red Book. She recently signed a publishing contract for her second novel, Beyond Where Our Monsters Lie.

She received a BFA from NYU in Drama/Acting and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University. She wrote and performed in stage shows at Disney and screamed in B-horror movies.

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Five tiny delights:

1. Spending time with my family

2. Dancing

3. Reading

4. Writing

5. Swimming, snorkeling, and swaying in the water

Five tiny Jewish delights:

1. Bagels and lox,

2. Babka

3. Latkes

4. Rugelach

5. Chocolate Egg Creams