Brutalist film: A Harsh Yet Beautiful Portrait of Human Identity

Brutalist film, directed by Brady Corbet, is a bold cinematic endeavor that carves out a unique space in contemporary art-house cinema. The film delves into identity, displacement, power, and art through a sharp, almost sculptural lens, both thematically and visually. Its title, Brutalist, alludes not only to the architectural movement of Brutalism but also to the structural violence embedded within its narrative—a reflection of both external and internal conflicts.

A Migrant Architect’s Perspective

The film opens on a jarring, intimate scene inside a crowded train carriage. We meet László Toth, a Hungarian architect in exile, portrayed with palpable vulnerability by Adrien Brody. Amid the noise of the rails and the haunting voiceovers of letters from his wife Erzsébet, the emotional terrain of the film is laid out: dislocation, longing, and the search for reinvention.

This introduction encapsulates Brutalist film's central themes: the psychological architecture of exile and the existential burden of creation in a foreign world.

Adrien Brody’s Haunting Performance

As László, Adrien Brody delivers a career-defining performance—measured, brooding, and emotionally nuanced. His portrayal of a man caught between self-expression and social alienation elevates the character beyond the archetype of the tortured artist. Brody doesn’t just play an architect; he builds him brick by brick, shaping a figure who must reconstruct not only buildings, but his own fractured sense of self.

Through this portrayal, the Brutalist film becomes a study in duality—of man as both creator and victim of the structures he inhabits.

The Cinematic Language of Brutalist film

Cinematographer Lol Crawley transforms each frame into an artwork. Shot on 70mm in widescreen VistaVision, the visual design of Brutalist mirrors the very architecture it examines. Soft lighting, stark lines, and geometric spaces create a tableau that is both cold and breathtaking. The architectural environments—homes, staircases, libraries, and quarries—are not merely backgrounds; they function as characters, silently echoing the internal states of those who inhabit them.

The aesthetic is not ornamental but functional and symbolic, true to the spirit of Brutalism. This cohesion between form and content exemplifies how Brutalist film transcends its medium.

Architecture as a Metaphor for Power

In Brutalist, architecture is a metaphorical battleground. László’s journey to post-war America leads him into the orbit of the Van Buren family, patrons of the arts with a capitalist grip on cultural production. Harrison Van Buren (played by Guy Pearce) embodies institutional authority, deciding what is worth building—and preserving.

The film raises an urgent question: can true creativity exist without the sanction of power? This tension between autonomy and approval lies at the heart of Brutalist film’s philosophical inquiry.

The Supporting Cast: Agents of Tension

Felicity Jones, as Erzsébet, transforms from a peripheral figure to a narrative pivot. Her subtle, resonant performance underscores the clash between artistic ambition and emotional accountability. Her biting line—"You only worship at your own altar"—distills the film’s emotional conflict into a single, searing critique.

Joe Alwyn’s portrayal of Harry, meanwhile, is an ambiguous dance between complicity and rebellion. Each supporting role in Brutalist is carefully constructed to amplify the film’s exploration of power and fragility.

Brutalist film Operatic Narrative Structure

Clocking in at over three hours and including an intermission, Brutalist refuses traditional storytelling conventions. Its structure, broken into distinct yet interconnected chapters, evokes the pacing of a visual opera. Editor David Jancso stitches together archival footage, abstract sequences, and raw emotion into a sophisticated narrative mosaic.

A standout scene in the Carrara marble quarries metaphorically grounds the film’s weighty themes. The discussion of “the soul of the stone” echoes across both history and character—reaching the philosophical crescendo of the film.

Brutalist film as Form and Statement

More than a migration tale or an art film, Brutalist is a cinematic thesis on the intersection of aesthetics, ethics, and existence. It marries form and message with rare coherence: each architectural frame, every whispered line, every moment of silence is infused with intention.

From the roaring train at the film’s start to the quiet eyes of Harrison Van Buren in its closing moments, Brutalist film poses a central question: how do we create beauty in an unequal world? And more poignantly: what is the cost of that beauty?

Brady Corbet’s Brutalist reminds us that art can emerge from the harshest spaces, shaping tenderness from concrete and poetry from silence. Just as Brutalist architecture conceals meaning behind its rugged exterior, this film houses profound human truths within its deliberate and often stark structure.