The American Dream

I saw the Brutalist last night.

For the uninitiated, Brutalist architecture emerged in the post-WWII UK, a name derived from béton-brut, or “raw concrete.” It focuses on function over flair, with an appreciation for the materials used in construction. The name is misleading if you don’t know the origins, much like the film the Brutalist, which stars Adrian Brody as László Toth, a Hungarian Jew architect who sought refuge in the US after WWII.

I didn’t know what to expect going into the movie, other than it was a historical epic about the trappings of the American dream. I knew it had a run time over three and a half hours (with an intermission) and that it was getting massive hype. Guy Pierce, in particular, was purported to give a career defining performance.

Getting out of my warm house and into the cold, snowy night required a significant amount of mustering. A 7:40 pm start time didn’t help. To say I was skeptical would be underselling it, but what good is skepticism if it can’t be defeated? The Brutalist exceed all expectations and earned every second of that 215 minute runtime.

A story told in 4 parts:

1. An Overture that deals with Toth’s fleeing to the United States, after being separated from his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy).

2. Part 1 where he begins to rebuild his life at his cousin Atilla’s (Alessandro Nivola) furniture store and begins working for millionaire industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pierce).

3. Part 2 where his wife and niece arrive in the US and his life seems to crumble apart as he struggles to complete a community center and deal with a world that does not want him in it.

4. An Epilogue, where we learn what it was all about, or did we?

There’s so many ways a movie like this can go wrong. Pacing is an easy trap, masterful directors like Scorsese and PT Anderson struggle with lulls at times, even when the final product is gripping and compelling. There was never a moment in this movie where I felt it dragged.

Nor was the film self-indulgent or pandering. It did not serve for deification of man or an ideology and its deconstruction of the immigrant experience did not feel exploitative. Some complaints have arisen about how on the nose the themes were presented, but I found those criticism misplaced.

Sure, Pierce’s Van Buren is a Donald Trump proxy, but his crimes are presented plainly and without commentary. He felt very much of his time and ours. He’s stupid, unimaginative, greedy, cruel and successful. Early on, he rages at Toth for ruining his home with a new library that was commissioned by Van Buren’s twin children Harry (Joe Alwyn) and Maggie (Stacy Martin) to surprise him.

It wasn’t until the library was lauded by the press for its inventive design that Harrison came to find Toth and hire him for the community center that would serve as the focal point for the bulk of the film. Van Buren did not care for the artistic merit, nor the artist behind it, only for the recognition he derived from that association. Benign conversations are “intellectually stimulating” to the intellectually bankrupt Harrison.

Pierce imbues Van Buren with confidence and charisma, his atrocities are never spelled out but are plain for all to see. And people forgive him for them because of his wealth. His children worship him, despite never being given a reason to. All the work is done by the people around him and he reaps the benefits. Another movie might have spelled this out for you, but Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold are content to let you connect the all-too-common dots.

Brody and Jones are formidable as the Toths, dealing with pain, trauma and addiction and trying to find a way to survive a hostile world. Most of the worst atrocities are only alluded to, save one horrific moment that serves as the climax of the second part. Still, we see the effects of these tragedies play out in the characters and their lives.

At its heart, The Brutalist is a romance. The story of two people who find ways to love each other no matter what forces serve to drive them apart. While the film deals with faith, identity, bigotry and class, what keeps us invested is the tie between the couple. How they know each other and support each other. How they help each other survive.

If you get the chance to see this one in theaters, do it. Also, more movies need intermissions. Bring those back.