Adrien Brody (The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Pianist) stars as László Tóth, a Holocaust survivor and Jewish immigrant who arrives in the United States and tries to build a new life for himself. Things change when he meets a wealthy developer who hires him for a huge construction job. László is an architect by trade and the developer wants him to design and build a monument that becomes his obsession. Over the course of years, he becomes more and more at odds with the developer. A lot of the conflict comes from budget and creative choices. Some of the conflict might be due to bigotry, either antisemitism, classism or something else.
László came to America by boat, and he left behind his wife and family. This separation has caused him to have issues. One of which is a drug addiction. However, the film doesn't overemphasize that aspect. Another aspect is that when he is reunited with his wife, there is a disconnect and it shows how both László and his wife have changed and been affected. The second half is about that disconnect between them, as well as the frustration about how they aren't getting what they want or need.
Guy Pearce (Memento and L.A. Confidential) co-stars as Harrison Lee Van Buren, the wealthy developer who hires László. Harrison is a larger-than-life figure. He can be very bold and charming. He can also be very insulting. He also repeats how he loves conversation that is intellectually stimulating. He lives in Pennsylvania, in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, specifically in an area known as Doylestown. The way he behaves, he almost feels like the king of this area. At times though, he reminded me of the business magnate in HBO's The Gilded Age (2022).
Specifically, there's a train accident that felt very similar to an incident in The Gilded Age. In the first season of that show, the character of George Russell was a wealthy businessman too. That show explores the conflict between the decisions he made about growing his business and growing his wealth with the interests of the working-class men who were struggling and suffering and even dying in pursuit of that business and wealth. It did so in dramatic and possibly melodramatic fashion that was very entertaining. This film also has a scene where we see a train accident and echoes of that story line in The Gilded Age are here. Those echoes didn't feel as entertaining here as in that HBO series.
Felicity Jones (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Theory of Everything) also co-stars as Erzsébet Tóth, the Hungarian wife of László. She arrives a few years later. She discovers his passion for architecture and working on this monument for Harrison. In that, he becomes an obsessive artist. In that, the film also becomes analogous to many other films about obsessive men or women, be they artists or otherwise. It's a trope in films or storytelling where a person will have a vision for something they want to do or create. Some will see that vision as genius or highly creative. However, the pursuit to do or create that vision will clash with practical issues like money or time. Erzsébet is supportive in her husband's vision, but there are others who aren't.
A large chunk of the second part of this film is about that battle of László trying to pull off his vision, despite money issues. Some want to do things that are easier and cheaper, but those things will compromise the vision of László. The trope of the obsessive artist is that they never compromise their vision. We're always meant to be on the side of that obsessive artist. I don't know that this film really differentiates why the vision has to be the way that it is and not be compromised. In The Gilded Age, it's not about an obsessive artist's vision but the battle comes down to class warfare and the belief that progress comes from aggressive capitalism and the proletariat is nothing more than a tool to be used and exploited. That's a more understandable battle, which the series explores. I'm not sure this film explores what is driving László's need for his specific vision. Brutalism is a style of architecture, which is where the title is derived but I don't think this film gives us any insight on that style or why it's important, or important to László.
Joe Alwyn (Harriet and The Favourite) rounds out the cast as Harry Lee Van Buren, the son of Harrison. He simply seems to be a younger and worse version of his father. He seems to be more bigoted and more of a sexual predator. He doesn't shy away from making offensive comments and certainly inappropriate ones, like his father. I'm not sure we get any more insight into him beyond that.
It should be noted that this film was created using a process called "VistaVision." This process is a way of shooting on 35 mm celluloid that allows the camera to capture an even larger image on a single celluloid frame. It creates an image that's almost as large as the ones captured on actual 70 mm and in the IMAX format. As such, this film was printed onto 70 mm celluloid and projected in theaters capable of handling that format. I saw it in that format at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York. The format made for some incredible shots, but I don't know if I was as impressed as I have been with films shot on 70 mm (65 mm) or in the actual IMAX format.
Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, rape, drug use and some language.
Running Time: 3 hrs. and 35 mins.
In theaters.