KT 098: The Brutalist (Brady Corbet, 2024)
Digby revels in the monumentalism of Corbet's latest
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
DCP Courtesy: 20th Century Fox
Classification: MA15+
Screening at your regular Arthouse / Multiplex!
Words by Digby Houghton
Pennsylvania is one of the states that most quintessentially typifies the American dream and the great American experiment, that unique trifecta of religious autonomy, freedom of speech and citizens’ democratic rights. The Quakers are a religion united by a belief in human's ability to be guided by the inward light to make witness of God to everyone else, who are mostly centred in the state of Pennsylvania – named after explorer , thinker and writer William Penn. Brady Corbet’s latest three-and-a-half-hour epic The Brutalist, set in and around Pennsylvania – focuses on religion, of all persuasions – as László Tóth (Adrian Brody) attempts to design a monument to memorialise his wealthy patron Harrison’s (Guy Pearce) late mother.
László Tóth is a frail pencil-moustachioed Jewish-Hungarian refugee, who escapes the terrifying perils of Nazism in his hometown of Budapest. Sacrificing his credible career as a notable architect he lands in New York destitute and desperate. Cinematographer Lol Crawley’s splendid Vista Vision initially captures New York in a muted monochrome of sombre grey and black.
László’s hope of escape is quickly truncated by the realities of New York City as he decides to move to Philadelphia to join his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola), and his American wife Audrey (Emma Laird), who have relocated their furniture store Miller & Sons from New York. The store is housed in a spacious building that specialises in mid-century modern furniture. However, László is quick to point out that his cousin isn’t named Miller and doesn’t have any sons, to which Miller quips beamingly with his arms outstretched that, “Americans love family.” This concern with self-deception and remaining loyal to one’s past riddles László throughout the film.
The Brutalist reimagines the American dream that has entranced Hollywood since its inception; it inverts the titular character of Preston Sturges’ 1941 film Sullivan’s Travels – who seeks to learn the mannerisms of the poor by surrendering his wealth – from László’s limited cultural capital as a newly arrived migrant to his abundance of opportunity upon meeting Harrison. The film also recontextualises the migrant story so infamously portrayed in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather franchise because unlike Vito Corleone’s gangster backstory László relies on the nepotism of Harrison to accumulate prestige as an architect.
Whilst László tries to keep financially afloat working tirelessly as a journeyman in the coal mines, his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) is trapped back home. László diligently writes her letters as we hear his voice narrate over gruelling montages of his destitute lifestyle working manual labour jobs across the countryside of Pennsylvania. One day, the aristocratic and well-kept Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn), commissions Attila and László to renovate the reading room and glass dome for his wealthy father Harrison, who is on holiday. The men agree to the job with a reasonable payment as compensation. However, when Harrison returns, he is outraged and blames László for ruining his space.
Later, once Harrison reconciles his temper and acknowledges László’s magnificent craftsmanship he asks him to construct a building that will honour his mother and those in rural Pennsylvania. László and Harrison signify two opposing notions of American money in the aftermath of World War Two: Harrison, the landed gentry of America and László, the virginal and hard-working spirit of newly arrived migrants. With the assistance of Harrison’s political friends, who expedite Erzsébet’s visa application, the couple become reacquainted.
The film spans forty years and is told in two halves – marked by an unnecessary fifteen-minute intermission that ticks down before your eyes – and with an epilogue at the end teleporting the audience to 1980s Venice, which also felt unnecessary. Throughout the film we see a variety of crackly pop-coloured archival footage illustrating the foundation of modern-day Pennsylvania in the aftermath of World War Two with a fortuitous narration evoking the nostalgic films of Australia’s own Commonwealth Film Unit – dryly educational and deeply patriotic. These archival films show the proliferation of communal small towns, and their strong religious communities, as the foundation of the state’s identity. But László doesn’t easily assimilate into this idyllic image of American suburbia. His niece Zsófia (Ariane Labed), and her husband decide to move to the recently established state of Israel urging him and Erzsébet to follow but László is mercilessly faithful to the opportunities that exist in America.
Where The Godfather franchise portrayed the American dream in all its glory, Corbet’s vision subverts Coppola’s paean to American exceptionalism, which is currently in jeopardy. For example, László is a highly educated, revered modernist architect and Erzsébet studied English literature at Oxford. To the chagrin of Harrison and his friends, when Erzsébet recants these qualifications over dinner there is a noticeably awkward clamour at the table. The pre-existing cultural capital of László and Erzsébet is in stark contrast to Vito Corleone’s impoverished and crime-riddled upbringing in Sicily. At a time when migration featured heavily in the recent presidential campaign it is important to consider László’s miraculous story within this political climate.
The film flicks and darts between cities, offering frenetic closeups of New York’s neon signs; the sprawling Pennsylvanian countryside; and a trip to Carrara, near Florence. Notably, this was the same town where Michelangelo sourced the marble for his statue of David – the defiant warrior who masterfully killed Goliath with merely a rock and a slingshot – further serving as a metaphor for László’s small vindications against the ruling class represented by Harrison; as with Michelangelo’s internecine patrons, László must compete with the external pressures of cost-cutting and the rejection of his glorious vision. László embodies the traits of modernity because he is dogmatic in his belief and is uncompromising towards his vision for art.
If modernity was typified by the singular vision of creatives and the individualisation of the artist, then Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist epitomises this. László believes in the spiritual redemption of art but is challenged by the interference of others. Considering the recently re-elected Trump administration’s decision to rampantly crack down on migration the film retroactively shows an optimistic migrant story. The overarching aesthetic of the film is enhanced thanks to the dense pop-coloured Vista Vision of the film elevating its status to a modern day epic.
23 Jan - 29 Jan
NOTABLE SCREENINGS / NEW FILMS WORTH NOTING
Babygirl
Halina Reijn, 2024
Preview screenings at selected arthouse cinemas
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
Screening Daily
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold, 2024
Screening Daily
Maria
Pablo Larraín, 2024
Screening at Palace Cinemas and Nova
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Radu Jude, 2023
Screening Friday 24
Once Upon a Time, Abadan
Hamid Reza Azarang, 2021
Screening Saturday
Ju-on: The Grudge
Takashi Shimizu, 2002
Screening Sat, Sun
House
Nobuhiko Ôbayashi, 1977
Screening Sunday
Blitz
Steve McQueen, 2024
Screening Sunday
Matinees
A Matter of Life and Death (4K Restoration)
Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1946
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun
No screening this week
ART+FILM at ACMI Thursday Jan 30
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
Screening Daily
TALKING HEADS: STOP MAKING SENSE – DANCE PARTY!
Jonathan Demme, 1984
Screening Saturday
BBBC CINEMA (GALLERYGALLERY BRUNSWICK)
Closed until 2025
No screening this week
CHINATOWN CINEMA
Shut for the week!
Coming back in some variety soon
No screening this week
Events
Check sites for rep titles
Release
Maria
Pablo Larraín, 2024
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun Mon
September Five
Tim Fehlbaum, 2025
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun Mon
Babygirl
Halina Reijn, 2024
Screening Fri, Sat, Sun Mon
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold, 2024
Screening Daily
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
Screening Daily
Conclave
Edward Berger, 2024
Screening Daily
Nosferatu
David Eggers, 2024
Screening Daily
Anora
Sean Baker, 2024
Screening Daily
We Live in Time
John Crowley, 2024
Screening Daily (Excl Friday)
Sing Sing
Greg Kwedar, 2025
Screening Daily
Emilia Perez
Jacques Audiard, 2025
Screening Daily
Better Man
Michael Gracey, 2024
Screening Daily
All We Imagine As Light
Payal Kapadia, 2024
Screening Daily
The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar, 2024
Screening Daily
Wicked
John M. Chu, 2024
Screening Daily
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Nick Park & Merlin Crossingham, 2024
Screening Daily
Heretic
Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, 2024
Screening Daily (Excl Sunday)
Saturday Night,
Jason Reitman, 2024
Screening Daily
Lee
Ellen Kuras, 2023
Screening Daily
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot, 2024
Screening Daily
Memory
Michel Franco, 2023
Screening Daily
There’s Still Tomorrow
Paola Cortellesi, 2024
Screening Daily
The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi, 2024
Screening Daily
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat, 2024
Screening Daily
Kneecap
Rich Peppiatt, 2023
Screening Daily
DOGMILK DEGUSTATIONS: @ Miscellania
Coming back soon
EXPERIMENTAL FILM CLUB
Listings coming soon
Done for now, will return soon
GAY24 (Bar Flippy’s)
HITLIST (9 Gertrude St, Fitzroy)
Shut for now
LIDO / CLASSIC / CAMEO
Events
Babygirl (Advance Screening)
Halina Reijn, 2024
Screening Sunday 26
Companion (Advance Screening)
Drew Hancock, 2025
Screening Monday 27
See all programs here
General Release
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold, 2024
Screening Daily
Conclave
Edward Berger, 2024
Screening Daily
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
Screening Daily
Nosferatu
David Eggers, 2024
Screening Daily
Anora
Sean Baker, 2024
Screening Daily
We Live in Time
John Crowley, 2024
Screening Daily
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Wicked
John M. Chu, 2024
Screening Daily
Emilia Perez
Jacques Audiard, 2025
Screening Daily
Better Man
Michael Gracey, 2024
Screening Daily
Magic Beach
Robert Connelly, 2024
Screening Daily
OVA CLUB
No screening this week
THE MELBOURNE CINÉMATHÈQUE (ACMI)
Opening night February 2025!
TOP OF THE HEAP (Tramway Hotel)
No screening this week
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY: SCREENING IDEAS
No screening this week
PALACE BALWYN / BRIGHTON / COMO / KINO / PENTRIDGE / MOONEE PONDS / WESTGARTH
Events
General Release
We Live in Time
John Crowley, 2024
Screening Daily
Conclave
Edward Berger, 2024
Screening Daily
Nosferatu
David Eggers, 2024
Screening Daily
Emilia Perez
Jacques Audiard, 2025
Screening Daily
Anora
Sean Baker, 2024
Screening Daily
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Better Man
Michael Gracey, 2024
Screening Daily
Wicked
John M. Chu, 2024
Screening Daily
The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar, 2024
Screening Daily (Kino)
Paddington in Peru
Dougal Wilson, 2024
Screening Daily
All We Imagine As Light
Payal Kapadia, 2024
Screening Daily (Kino)
No screening this week
No listings this week / click link above to see what’s on (their site too hard to list)
The Brutalist
Brady Corbet, 2024
Screening Daily
A Complete Unknown
James Mangold, 2024
Screening Daily
Babygirl
Halina Reijn, 2024
Preview Screening Monday 27!
UNKNOWN PLEASURES @ Thornbury Picture House
No screening this week