by Fr. James DiLuzio CSP

This film is stunning in every sense of the word. Writer-Director Brady Corbet (co-writer Mona Fastvold ) has created a cinematic work of art about an artist–the brutalist architect László Tóth, but about so much more. At its foundation, THE BRUTALIST is an indictment of 20th century Europe and America, its cruelty, capitalism, and Antisemitism. Corbet masterly exposes the blatant barbarity of 1940’s Eastern Europe and its deceptive American counterpart—far less obvious, but no less malevolent. Hiding behind social veneers of wealth and sophistication, 1950 through 70s America’s racism and greed is on full display. Everything about the film delves into intricately woven layers beginning with its title -not only identifying Tof’s style of art but providing a window into the brutality that inspired it, and that allowed it to thrive amidst physical, emotional, spiritual torment and grief.

As we encounter the story’s leading players, personified by Adam Brody, Guy Pierce, and Felicity Jones in standout performances among a fine, disciplined cast, we marvel at the complexity of the movie’s situations. How skillfully the director juxtaposes the realities of art and its funding, and the artists and the entrepreneurs who finance, mentor, and manipulate them, with the intricate webs of envy, condescension, enterprise, and hate. In fact, all seven of the deadly sins are on copious display:  

• Pride
• Greed
• Wrath
• Envy
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Sloth

Like the buildings and interior designs on screen, characters and situations are on exhibition, too, gradually revealing the elements of their sins’ construction in tandem with the assemblage of the raw and processed materials required to build the architect’s designs. Almost overwhelming in its intricacies, THE BRUTALIST manages to keep the plot moving, its focus coherent, tantalizing its audience throughout. The film’s intermission may be welcome for some, but the storytelling’s impact does not lose any momentum.Here we are given the opportunity to be energized entertaining many of the questions that most certainly will linger from experiencing Act 1.

“What will become of these fragile and harsh relationships?”

“What spirit will prevail as these characters grapple with ambition, inspiration, dignity, humiliation, hope, fear, love, and disgust for all that comprises the human condition?”

Yes, THE BRUTALIST is a powerful drama that compels us to scrutinize our lives. It forces us to ask:

To what extent are we, too, complicit in our conformity to the many evils of our age? What do we accept that should not be accepted?

What values do we prize?

Have we, too, like one of the film’s characters, freely chosen “silence,” or do we wonder if we, like her, are silent solely because we have we been threatened, demeaned, or coerced?

Might we raise our voices to encourage the good, the true, the selfless, and the beautiful, or do we let artists struggle on our behalf because we, ourselves, prefer merely to be entertained?