Discombobulated is a great word, although its meaning? Not so much. Used in a sentence, it might refer to someone being utterly confused as to what has happened. Synonyms for this word include addled, thrown and shaken.
When The Brutalist begins, you feel all of these things. There are a lot of strange camera angles. Harsh music. And a long bus ride. We are as rattled, bewildered, and disconcerted as the protagonist we finally get to meet as he steps off the bus and into the arms of his Americanized cousin, who resides in the city of brotherly love: Philadelphia – a juxtaposition, as he's come from a place where there was absolutely nothing that resembled brotherly love.
László Tóth, the Hungarian-born Jewish architect played by Adrien Brody, is emotionally damaged. He was forcibly separated from his wife and niece, who were sent to Dachau concentration camp, while he was sent to Buchenwald. But now he is free to pursue the American dream. His cousin provides him with a bedroom decorated from the furniture showroom of his own business, and soon introduces him to the spoiled rich son of a powerful businessman who has a job offer: to build a library for his unsuspecting father.
The job is completed and while spectacular, it's quite stark. You see, László is a Bauhaus-trained architect. He creates functional designs using basic industrial materials such as steel, glass and concrete. It's both representative of the style of Bauhaus, but also symbolic of his time in the concentration camp, which would have been cold, harsh, and brutal.
The surprise is not well received, and he is not paid for his work until later -- when the wealthy and somewhat mysterious Mr. Van Buren, played by Australian actor Guy Pearce, comes to apologize for his poor behavior upon seeing the surprise. He not only pays what is due, but offers a new commission: a community center. Thus begins a relationship that changes the course of László’s life.
Taking into account both his Bauhaus training and his horrendous life experience, László designs what can only be described as a monolith. Bauhaus deliberately chooses simple lines. Smooth facades. Flat roofs. All with a focus on function and rationality. Something not found during the time of the Holocaust. Which brings us to the film's title – a double entendre. Similar to Bauhaus ideology, Brutalist architecture emerged after World War II. With few resources at that time, emphasizing construction and raw materials became key. Forms needed to be simple, and materials were stripped bare. Ornamental or decorative touches were not part of the package.
At first glance then, the title refers to the architect creating Brutalism-style buildings. However, on second glance, perhaps it refers to more: the brutalism László endured not only during the Holocaust, but what he experiences in America.
So, is the title about architecture or humans? Possibly both. It runs longer than 3.5 hours, and while my companions were not engaged, I was rapt. There is much more going on as well. Joe Alwyn plays Mr. Van Buren's strange son. Something is going on with him that we can only guess at.
But then, the movie doesn't explain everything. For example, when we first meet the niece, she is selectively mute. Later on, she has found her voice but without explanation.
Felicity Jones stars as László’s wife. She is very good in the role and has been recognized with an Oscar nod for Supporting Actress. Adrien Brody has also been nominated, for Best Actor. While my friends weren't sure they would recommend this film, I do. And I hope it wins all the Oscars it has been nominated for.
This movie is special. The director and cinematographer were trying to capture something different. Something new. Something else... Maybe something elusive to us all. How can any of us understand the horror of the Holocaust? Storytelling isn’t just dialogue, props or actors. It's also about the feelings conveyed.
For instance, we spend a lot of time on the road in this film. Trains. Buses. Cars. Perhaps symbolic of the cattle cars that took innocent people to the gas chambers. There are no gas chambers in this film, but in my eyes, it was very much about the Holocaust. The cacophony of the music was harsh. The architecture was harsh. The treatment of some of the characters by other characters is harsh and ugly. Not unlike the treatment of the oppressors during the Holocaust. This movie is important. While it is fiction, it comes from our shared history. Something none of us should ever forget. ~Sharon Salsberg
5 out of 5 stars
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