'The Brutalist' review: Architecture cinema vies for Oscars
MANILA, Philippines — Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist" is among the frontrunners at this year's Academy Awards and its pursuit for glory is carried by the superb performances of Oscar winner Adrien Brody and first-time nominee Guy Pearce.
Brody plays fictional Jewish Hungarian architect László Tóth who arrives in the United States after escaping the Holocaust and tries to settle in the American dream of building a new life, all while worrying for the life of his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) who is still in Europe.
Tóth struggles to get by until he comes across the wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr. (Pearce) who offers him the project of a lifetime, which the architect takes on as an epic masterpiece quite similar to what the film finds itself as.
It comes as no surprise why Brody is dominating the awards circuit, save for Timothee Chalamet's surprise win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, for his incredible performance which is just as strong as his Oscar-winning role in "The Pianist."
As Tóth, Brody demonstrates all the toils of a post-war immigrant trying find a new place in the world, even if there are those eager to exploit his talents because of how fallible a human being can be.
Related: Oscars 2025: What is Brutalism? And why do architects hate 'The Brutalist'?
To that effect Pearce is brilliant as Van Buren Sr. that it's surprising this is only his first Academy Award nomination. His dynamic with Tóth over the years rises and falls with such absorption that both actors' dynamics is what keeps the movie's foundations strong.
Jones does what she can in the second half of the film — in classic fashion "The Brutalist" at 202 minutes has an intermission and is shot using VistaVision — to earn her second Oscar nod, but it is quite muted compared to what her co-stars deliver.
Much praise should also be given to Corbet both as a director and a writer, the latter achievement he shares with his real-life partner Mona Fastvold, to craft a literal cinematic epic about the American dream through the lens of architecture.
Speaking of architecture, the production design of Judy Becker (plus sets by Patricia Cuccia) is amplified by the way cinematographer Lol Crawley shot the film, focusing first on the people before how they engage in the environment they are trying to build.
Literally booming from every corner is the massive score of Daniel Blumberg where the notes could arguably qualify as sound design given how pivotal everything audible is to the flow of the story.
As "Anora" and "Conclave" pull ahead as favorites to leave "Emilia Perez" in the dust, "The Brutalist" is making a claim there is still room for the cinematic treatment of old which helped build the magnificent movies we have today.
RELATED: Porn stars: Oscar favorite 'Anora' gets sex work right
- Latest
- Trending
