Director: Bradly Corbet Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce Studio: A24 Genre(s): Drama Rated: R (For strong sexual content, graphic nudity, rape, drug use and some language) |
Growing up I heard stories of my grandparents on what it was like to emigrate to America. The happiness they felt when they first saw the Statue of Liberty and the feelings that they were, truly, on their way to a better life. When "The Brutalist" opens our main protagonist - László Tóth (Adrien Brody) - emerges from a ship basement of dirt and grime and happily looks up at the statue and cries like he certainly never has before. From his perspective though, the Statue of Liberty is upside down, giving us a subtle visual clue that the hope for a new life isn't going to look the way he expects it to. As we follow him through his new life in America, he will find that the land of the free has as much disappointment as it does happiness.
László has escaped to America after surviving the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. He is taken in by a cousin who agrees to house him while he is in the process of getting on his feet. As with all walks of life though, it is not a straight and easy path. His cousin's wife isn't too thrilled to share the house with a man who is practically a stranger to her. A misunderstanding causes his cousin to lose money on a job, which prompts his cousin to kick
László out. László will spend many nights working hard labor while sleeping in the basements of Catholic churches (a situation far from ideal, considering his Jewish heritage).
In many ways many of us may see ourselves in László, always trying to make it on top while struggling just to make ends meet. He gets a boost when that former client (Guy Pearce) realizes that László was a genius architect in his previous life, whose talents are being wasted digging coal. It's the sort of lucky break that America is known for, but even that boost will come with strings in the future. Much has been made of "The Brutalists" long runtime (3 hours and 15 minutes plus a 15-minute intermission), and while I understand that people need to be warned about how much of a commitment a movie like this is, the movie is so masterfully directed that watching the movie gave me the sense that time had no meaning.
Helpful though the intermission was, I probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't there at all. Because "The Brutalist" presents one of the great American stories of our time. Like "The Godfather" and "Roma," the film gives us a chance to walk in the footsteps of people and not only live their lives but gives us a chance to experience who they are based on their circumstances. László has a talent many of us will never understand (take it from the guy who only knows how to comment on movies for a living), but his dreams for a better life and his frustrations of not being able to bring his wife to America are human experiences that all of us can relate to.
Also, despite claims that the film is anti-American, I believe "The Brutalist" does love America. It's just...it loves America in a very pragmatic way. This is a movie that understands that America offers opportunity and freedom, but that there is a bit of luck and hope that those with power are willing to give the opportunity in the first place. Filmed in VistaVision, "The Brutalist" will best be seen on a screen that showcases the presentation in 70mm film, giving the picture the true feeling of being from the 40s. Director Bradly Corbet has delivered nothing short of a masterpiece, and he very well could be the next classic director who will receive BluRay box sets and biographies written about him.
He has directed an epic movie about the American experience. In a time when immigrants' contributions are being debated on the political stage, he has delivered a movie that reminds us of the human value of the poor and the homeless coming to America and contributing to this great dream of ours. He has crafted a movie with some of the most relatable human beings in cinema, and though many will watch this film once, chances are they will never forget them. He is a true auteur star in the making, and "The Brutalist" is one of the best films of the year.
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