#adrienbrody

THE BRUTALIST (2024) – REVIEW ⚠️ Possible spoiler warning! ⚠️

This film was heavily talked about during awards season, so it felt like I had to see it. I should mention that I watched it in four parts; it’s very long, and I happened to start it during quite a tiring week. It’s not exactly the most high-energy or engaging film in terms of pace, so I spaced it out.

What to say… it wasn’t what I expected, but also, in a way, it was? It’s very much film-festival coded, artistic, big themes, with beautiful visuals and a genuinely striking soundtrack. The story begins in quite a dark and melancholic way. Every time a moment of hope or happiness found the main character, László Tóth (played by Adrien Brody), something bad followed. He could never catch a break.

But for me, the film went downhill after the first half. I lost interest in László as a character; he became difficult to watch, both in how he treated himself and the people around him. The story grew more confusing, his actions less coherent, and I struggled to stay emotionally invested.

Also, SPOILER: the fact that they never explained or showed what happened to Harrison was incredibly frustrating. I wish we’d at least had closure on that point. That said, I did find the epilogue interesting; it gave us a glimpse of László’s later success, which softened the sour turn the film had taken.

The acting, though, was excellent throughout.

So, is it a must-see? Honestly… I don’t think so. It does address important topics, war-time immigration, capitalism, addiction, and the role of art, but it often felt like key parts were missing or underdeveloped. I also heard they used something called “enhancement AI” in the film, and while I’m not sure how exactly, it’s a bit disappointing for a story so centred on the human spirit, art, and architecture.