The cold and provocative nature of brutalist architecture made it one of the most controversial artistic movements of the 20th century. Despite its divisive reception, the starkness and plain sincerity of expression have made brutalism a staple and a touchstone in western art.
Filmmaker Brady Corbet seems to be banking on a similar reaction to his new film on this subject, The Brutalist. The challenging, esoteric and intellectual drama – which clocks in at three-and-a-half hours – almost seems designed to repel general audiences. But some exhibitors are betting on the film finding its people.
The Brutalist is currently in limited release, meaning it is playing exclusively at film centres in major cities like Toronto and New York. Distributors at A24 plan to expand the release later this month, but as is often the case with independent films like this one, just how widely will depend on its performance.
The only cities that can count on seeing this film as it was meant to be seen are those lucky enough to have repertory theatres like Ottawa’s ByTowne Cinema, which has already announced an extensive run beginning Jan. 24. Unless it experiences a box-office miracle, The Brutalist is unlikely to receive a truly wide theatrical release outside of independently-run theatres like these.
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Eric Lavigne, the marketing manager at the ByTowne, explained that the awards buzz surrounding the film affords it some built-in appeal. The 2025 Academy Award nominations are scheduled to be announced just one day before The Brutalist opens at the ByTowne.
The team at the ByTowne is confident that their audience will not be dissuaded by a long runtime or a lack of traditional commercial appeal.
“Our audience is here to be transported, to watch film, to appreciate film,” Lavigne says. “If that means sitting there for three and a half hours, by golly, they’re there for three and a half hours.”
The Brutalist follows a Hungarian Jewish immigrant, László Tóth, who has left behind his architectural career to escape Nazi persecution and begin a new life in America with his family.
His talent is eventually discovered by the wealthy businessman Lee Van Buren, who commissions Tóth to design an elaborate community centre and Christian chapel. It is a simple but compelling story whose behemoth runtime is justified by Corbet’s soaring achievements in characterization and thematic depth.
The film’s undeniably daunting length is made palatable largely by the excellent performances at its centre. Tóth possesses all the sympathetic talent and righteousness of a boiler-plate movie protagonist, but Adrien Brody’s thoughtfully deployed coldness and emotional volatility shave the all-too-neat edges off of his character and imbue Tóth with a startling realism.
Conversely, Guy Pearce’s Van Buren is almost cartoonishly cruel, ignorant and racist, but nevertheless oozes a kind of charm in such abundance that his extreme wealth and power seem only natural. Both actors do deeply compelling, career-defining work.
Equally important is the technical craft, which gives The Brutalist a feeling of justified heft rarely found outside of Old Hollywood epics. It is the first film since the 1960s shot mostly in VistaVision, a large-scale film format originally designed to combat the popularity of television. Cinematographer Lol Crawley’s revival of the format is no mere marketing gimmick – every shot is thoughtfully composed to emphasize VistaVision’s saturated colours and massive frame size, and the result is tangibly old-fashioned and gorgeous to look at.
For a film so long and dense, editor Dávid Jancsó’s moment-to-moment control of pace and tone is also remarkable. Everything seems full of possibility in the brisk, montage-like first half.
The pace slowly and seamlessly becomes stranger and more off-kilter towards the end, creating a dreamlike haziness as long-simmering conflicts and subtexts burst shockingly into the foreground. Despite its length, the film never feels meandering or without direction.
On one hand, The Brutalist is a bold depiction of the creative artist in a capitalist environment, presenting the relationship between artist and wealthy patron as mutually exploitative. It raises probing questions on whether the artist’s intentions can ever truly be understood, or whether they matter at all.
At the same time, it is a profoundly human portrayal of the immigrant experience. Tóth’s working-class story of emigration, addiction, discrimination and perseverance is gripping and deeply moving on the surface. It is only elevated by the shades of grey in its themes of cultural assimilation, and the appropriation of Tóth’s work and cultural trauma towards the foundation of an Israeli state. This thematic depth and disquieting moral ambiguity keep the film lingering in the mind long after the credits roll.
How such a challenging work will play with general audiences remains to be seen, and Ottawans willing to make the trek to the ByTowne will surely be divided. But like the artistic movement that inspired The Brutalist, Corbet’s work will make a major impression on everyone it touches.
The Brutalist is playing at the ByTowne Cinema from Jan. 24 – Feb. 6. Tickets for the ByTowne’s screening of The Brutalist can be found on their website.
The ByTowne auditorium and washrooms are fully accessible for patrons in wheelchairs. The doors to the men’s room are the old 30″ standard width, and there is no automated door opener but there’s always someone nearby to open the door for you. When you arrive, ask the usher about reserved spaces for wheelchairs. There are several locations to choose from. For hard-of-hearing patrons, the ByTowne has an FM Audio Assist system. Receivers are available free of charge from the candy bar staff.
