Included in The 7PM Project: December 10, 2024 episode (2024)
Tale
When visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are forever changed by a mysterious, wealthy client. Filming lasted a total of 34 days, between March 16 and May 5, 2023, and took place in Budapest, Hungary, and Carrara, Italy. Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr.: When dogs get sick, they often bite the hand of those who have fed them until someone mercifully puts them down. Stark and daring, “Brutalism” was the name given to a modern architectural style that flourished in the ’50s and ’60s.
Its sharp angles were formed from simple materials like rebar and concrete
Light and shadow danced dramatically across the steep walls and through the bold windows.In a way, Brutalism — nominated for numerous Golden Globes, including Best Drama — is also a work of architecture. If you look beyond the title and three-and-a-half hour running time, the film offers epic visions of immigrant aspirations and the American dream (both pro and con) through a highly stylized lens.Best Actor nominee Adrien Brody delivers a piercing, fearless performance as László Toth, a brilliant Hungarian Jewish architect who survives the carnage in his homeland during World War II and arrives at the feet of the Statue of Liberty, hoping for a new beginning.Lady Liberty is upside down on the poster because that is how she first appears to immigrants emerging from the steerage of the steamers.László’s odyssey leads to the boundless optimism of postwar Philadelphia. His wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones, also nominated for a Globe) will follow him a few years later with their niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy). Meanwhile, the celebrated creator must live a simple life in his own country, eating in soup kitchens, sleeping in shelters and shoveling coal to earn a living.
will change the fate of both men
His encounter with super-rich businessman Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. Guy Pierce receives the film’s third Globe nomination for perhaps his best performance of his career. Harrison is urbane and handsome, the ultimate WASP patrician. His mellifluous voice and carefully chosen words provide a striking contrast to László’s still awkward foreignness.
and then back again
Although their first encounter is disastrous, Van Buren soon confesses not only his admiration but also envy of the immigrant’s genius and commissions him to create a monumental cultural center and memorial to his late mother. The project will bind them together for years as the monolithic structure slowly rises atop a hill on the Van Burens’ estate. Their bond is one of opposites, each possessed of a strong will and an indomitable ego. Their relationship, and that of their families, evolves from master and hired helper to band of collaborators to the intimacy of brothers…
Director and co-writer Brady Corbet seems to share his characters’ great confidence in their own abilities
At 36, his evolution from actor to A-list filmmaker invites comparisons to the young Orson Welles, who arrived in Hollywood with the groundbreaking “Citizen Kane.” Considering that “The Brutalist” had a budget of less than $10 million, its sheer size and scope, not to mention its unique sense of style, are breathtaking wonders. Alongside Lol Crawley’s dazzling cinematography, Brady incorporates historical and industrial footage of the era into the production design. The film’s soundtrack is also a work of art in itself, offering perfectly curated songs in its montage of period radio broadcasts, commercials and ambient sounds. The Brutalist meditates on the price – and reward – of genius and, on an even deeper level, shows the price of assimilation.