The Brutalist (2024)★ 7.5/10

What stands out most in this film is the constant shock and contrast. The shifts between calm and playful shots, the brainless abusers and the cunning victims, the outward restraint and inner rage, the physical imperfections and spiritual wholeness—all these elements effectively depict how the Americans oppressed the Jews. But what truly ties it all together is Adrien Brody’s phenomenal performance, which elevates the entire experience.

After watching the film, I couldn’t help but feel that Adrien Brody deserves an Oscar. While the story and cinematography are solid, it’s the sound design that truly stands out—novel, avant-garde, and undeniably captivating.

Brutal.

Impeccable craftsmanship carries this film, with each segment unfolding through unique visual storytelling. Despite the three-and-a-half-hour length, it remains engaging, except for occasionally clichéd music. Instead of glorifying human resilience, it highlights characters’ flaws and existential struggles in a refreshingly understated take.

The four-hour runtime feels excessive. While the cinematography is strong, it’s hard to discern the purpose of this fictional biography. The film lacks clarity and doesn’t evoke the epic feel it aims for.

Brutalism is an architectural style that uses materials, most of the time exposed concrete, to create a minimalist but functional design. A24’s THE BRUTALIST is an epic historical drama that focuses on a Hungarian Holocaust survivor named László Tóth (Adrien Brody). From the very first scene of him getting off the train and seeing the Statue of Liberty, I knew this was going to be a truly unique experience. Not to scare you off, but this movie is 215 minutes long, even including a 15-minute intermission. It’s also one of the best movies in the past year, sporting 10 Academy Award nominations. To me, the best kind of movie is one that makes you think about it until your thinker is sore and burnt out. This movie is about a lot of different things, but they all manage to swirl around this one guy. He’s an accomplished brutalist architect who slowly sees the cracks in the so-called “American Dream”. Brody has a very strong chance of winning Best Actor. Guy Pearce has a chance for Best Supporting Actor. Felicity Jones has a good chance of getting Best Supporting Actress. The pacing is fantastic, making the very long runtime a non-issue. I can’t get the amazing score out of my head. That and the cinematography deserve awards. The ending will be divisive. Until I really gave it some thought, it didn’t really work for me. Much like László’s work, the movie itself is a monument to the lost art of filmmaking, will be studied by film students, and will stand the test of time. The fact that I believe a second viewing would be even better than the first, is just wild. This has a very good chance of winning Best Picture, but my personal favourite is still ANORA. THE BRUTALIST is a film that goes against the grain of what Hollywood has become, costing an unbelievable $10 million, and is a powerful statement of how art and creativity can successfully take on capitalism.

El Brutalista deslumbra con un guion poderoso y preciso, mientras la fotografía y la imagen transmiten con crudeza y belleza la dura historia del protagonista. El peso emocional de cada momento, convirtiendo la pantalla en un reflejo brutal y poético de su lucha. Una experiencia cinematográfica que golpea y fascina al mismo tiempo.

Após assistir ao filme, não pude deixar de sentir que Adrien Brody merece um Oscar. Embora a história e a fotografia sejam sólidas, é o design de som que realmente se destaca – novo, vanguardista e inegavelmente cativante.

O que mais se destaca neste filme é o choque e o contraste constantes. As mudanças entre planos calmos e divertidos, os abusadores desmiolados e as vítimas astutas, a contenção exterior e a raiva interior, as imperfeições físicas e a integridade espiritual – todos estes elementos retratam eficazmente como os estadunidenses oprimiram os judeus. Mas o que realmente une tudo é o desempenho fenomenal de Adrien Brody, que eleva toda a experiência.

Después de ver la película, no pude evitar pensar que Adrien Brody se merece un Óscar. La historia y la cinematografía están muy bien, pero lo que realmente se destaca es el diseño de sonido: novedoso, vanguardista e increíblemente cautivador.

Lo que más se destaca de esta película son los constantes contrastes y choques: las transiciones entre las tomas calmadas y divertidas, los abusadores brutales frente a las víctimas astutas, la contención externa frente a la rabia interna, y las imperfecciones físicas frente a la plenitud espiritual. Todos estos elementos construyen una representación eficaz de cómo los estadounidenses oprimieron a los judíos. Pero lo que realmente une todo es la actuación de Adrien Brody, que eleva la experiencia completa.

Redondo. Tecido com cuidado e tem seus momentos de respiro tão bem definidos, "cinema sério", filme de festival. Uma pena a 2ª metade ser num ritmo tão diferente da 1ª e aquele finalzinho ser tão re-re-reforçado de uma mensagem que já havíamos entendido, quando os créditos subiram ao som de La Biomba, one for you, one for me, eu fiquei sem entender o tom, mas ok. Composição e arquitetura de encher os olhos. Belissimo Sesc, cof*