Everything about The Brutalist is designed to be EPIC. The word "Overture" is drawn across the screen at the beginning while we listen to the score play out for us. Then we are struck with a visually stunning credit sequence that rivals classic movie credits. As the film proper plays out the scenes of Corbet's story are all shot with an eye to how to maximize visual impact and dramatic emphasis. The Brutalist is not made with realism in mind but with spectacle at the fore. The performances are dialed up and the plot points extreme. This is a 215 minute movie with an intermission and an epilogue, not a shrinking violet of a movie. Good on Corbet for being so ambitious and going for broke here. From the reaction of critics he has knocked it out of the park.
And mostly it works. The Brutalist, for all its runtime, manages to be rather engaging all the way through. For a film over three hours about an architect shot in cement inspired tones this film shockingly doesn't drag. Corbet not only takes the time he wants to tell this story, he finds ways to explore his story that keep us hooked into his narrative so even when little is happening we are watching. It is quite impressive the way he holds our focus. Part of this is just how big a swing most of this film is. He continually ups the ante, sometimes shockingly (a rape comes out of nowhere, as does a suicide). When the film takes a turn it takes a turn! This has the effect of keeping us hooked, but I'm not sure it has the effect of making it feel real. The Brutalist seems most interested in structure (perhaps appropriately), building the scaffolding of a great movie with big moments, acting set pieces, and high drama. Reality in how characters act or interact seemed irrelevant here. Despite how much I was into watching what was going on, I rarely found myself feeling anything for the characters or their situations.
As the film's epilogue, a rather anti-climactic tag on which felt like a bit of a forced happy ending which doesn't resolve any of the drama that was introduced throughout the previous 3 hours, I found myself...well, not caring. I felt very little while watching The Brutalist. I enjoyed it intellectually in how it was shot, the rather over the top performances which played off each other so well, the incredible score which merged a nightmarish quality with some beauty, and the sheer audacity of the production. But what it never did was get me invested in the characters. I didn't care about László or Erzsébet. I couldn't muster hatred for the Van Burans. I just never felt connected to the emotions. Characters felt a little on the slim side, perhaps drawn too close to archetypes for my liking. Honestly I think all of this is a style choice that I can appreciate if not necessarily enjoy.
I am not saying I didn't like it. I was never bored and The Brutalist is the sort of film I admire from an intellectual point of view. I would recommend people see it. But I know that emotionally the movie didn't resonate for me in the I need it to for me to fall in love with it. It is a very well made film, masterful even. It's just not something I expect to want to revisit anytime soon. For me, a film that touches my heart will draw me back into it again and again. Maybe it will for others.
The Brutalist
Starring: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola
Director: Brady Corbet
Writers: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
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