Top Stories

Review | ‘The Brutalist’ is what the Oscars want you to like and Twitter wants you to hate

Despite its high barrier to entry for the average viewer — clocking in at a hefty 205-minute runtime — audiences are flocking to see “The Brutalist.” I am far from being part of the “movies should be shorter” camp that believes film runtimes have ballooned to absurd lengths. However, with a second half that rivals the length of a standalone feature film and the quality of a first draft destined for a straight-to-DVD release, I can’t help but wonder if the film truly needed to be that long. 

“The Brutalist” checks all the boxes to win the Academy Award for Best Picture — an artist dedicated to his craft in post-war America, all captured on stunning VistaVision. The premise sounds incredible, but sitting through the film is another matter — something many Academy members admitted they couldn’t do.

Directed by Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist” chronicles the latter half of the career of Jewish-Hungarian architect László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody. As the title suggests, Tóth was a very successful champion of the brutalist style of architecture — a style that, unfortunately, plagues our very own campus. The film explores themes of immigration, assimilation, art and patronage through Tóth’s work as a commissioned architect for a wealthy Philadelphian, Harrison Lee Van Buren, played by Guy Pearce. After fleeing post-World War II Hungary, leaving his wife and niece who were stuck behind, Tóth works a series of odd jobs before landing his big break as the architect for Van Buren’s mother’s memorial building. Van Buren, a wealthy industrialist, and Tóth, a poor artistic immigrant, form a powerful dynamic and relationship reflective of America throughout the latter half of the 20th century. 

Although used as a backdrop to illuminate the experience of artists and immigrants, the architecture in the film, led by set designer Judy Becker, is a major strength. Every one of Tóth’s creations is beautiful and reflective of both the artist and the world around him. As an avid hater of brutalist architecture, the film captures the beauty and artistry involved.

The film opens with a hazy, inverted shot of the Statue of Liberty, immediately inviting the audience to the film’s stunning cinematography. Cinematographer Lol Crawley brings Becker’s set design to the screen in a masterful manner. The grainy texture illuminates New York and Philadelphia, transporting the audience to a 1950s West Coast. Sprawling landscapes and intimate shots intruding on Tóth’s space and psyche come together to form an enticing visual experience. 

It’s impossible to discuss “The Brutalist” without including its performances. Brody as Tóth is a career-defining performance. The film feels closer to a documentary than narrative with Brody fully immersing himself in Tóth’s life and work. Every minute, whether he’s alone and completely silent or talking in a room full of people, the audience is completely absorbed in his demeanor. Although not getting as much buzz as his counterpart, Pearce also delivers a magnificent performance. Authoritative and demeaning in every way, Van Buren feels as if he could reach through the screen and reprimand the viewer. Felicity Jones plays Tóth’s wife, Erzsébet, who shows up halfway through the film and immediately goes toe-to-toe with her husband’s performance. She truly captures the emotional complexity of the immigrant experience.

The first half of the film is magnificent. Enrapturing and compelling, every minute felt wholly necessary. The second half is where those adjectives fall by the wayside. Everything following the intermission, falling at the halfway point, felt like an afterthought for the writers Corbet and Mona Fastvold. The film drags on and on, unnecessarily prolonged, lacking the same urgency or purpose that characterized the first half. The final 45 minutes, which seem designed to shock or propel the audience toward the finish line, fall flat and fail to land thematically. By the end, the film’s sprawling three-hour runtime seems to build to a frustratingly incomplete conclusion. The themes and messages that were taking shape earlier in the story are left unsatisfyingly underdeveloped.

With all of the issues falling in the latter half of the film, it’s understandable that Academy voters, who admitted to not seeing or not completing the film, sing its praises. It’s easy to take the opinions of others, the ideas you created from the parts of the movie you have seen or heard about, and piece together an idea of brilliance that may not exist. This phenomenon, wherein a game of telephone drowns out deeper analytical engagement, can lead to films being elevated critically beyond what their content merits. This game of telephone is reflected in the controversy surrounding the film’s use of AI. After criticism emerged about AI-generated architecture and voice modulation, a quick Google search revealed that AI was not used in the production design, and the voice modulation was typical of Hollywood post-production — nothing unethical or a threat to the jobs of artists. People will tell you what they want you to believe — whether that’s the Academy’s nomination sending the message that “This film is important, and you should like it, even if you haven’t seen it,” or Twitter trying to tell you that this movie is an unethical pile of ChatGPT garbage. In the end, “The Brutalist” feels like a film that is propelled less for its merit and more for the narratives surrounding it. 

culturedesk

Share
Published by
culturedesk

Recent Posts

Pitt men’s basketball falls in close game to Wake Forest

Pitt men’s basketball lost 76-74 on the road to Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon in…

1 day ago

Pitt Police, Duquesne Light report widespread power outages in Oakland

Pitt Police reported a power outage at Forbes Hall early this morning. Engineers at the…

2 days ago

New research center at Pitt aims to improve women’s health with the help of AI 

Vijayalakshmi Innovation Center in Women’s Health Analytics and Research aims to merge AI with patient…

2 days ago

Who Asked? // Am I doing this right?

This installment of Who Asked? by staff writer Brynn Murawski laments how crappy it feels…

2 days ago

Couch Critic // Is ‘Wicked’ worthy of Best Picture?

In this week's Couch Critic, Emily Harris dives into whether “Wicked” has the cinematic magic…

2 days ago

From Pop to Personal // Get Your Head in the Game

On this edition of From Pop to Personal, staff writer Ashley O’Doherty talks about her…

2 days ago