The Brutalist (2024)

The Brutalist

• I can’t describe how long I waited to watch this, especially with all the Oscar nominations it has. It technically came out in December of 2024, and though it was only just now released in my area, it was absolutely worth waiting. Every day I couldn’t see it, my excitement only built higher and higher. So finally, I got to see it, and it was everything I imagined it would be. The absolute scale of this film is so impressive, especially considering the considerably small budget. It just shows that pure filmmaking is still alive, and you don’t need $200-300 million dollars to make a decent film. I would like to tip my hat to Brady Corbet and the entire cast and crew. The direction and writing behind this film was incredible, and arguably the best of 2024. One of the biggest things I loved was how the entire story was fiction, though by the time you finish, it feels like Laszlo Toth actually existed, and all the events were real. Like I said, incredible direction and writing. The story is complex with so much emotion, depth, and lessons on the immigration experience and how the rich have too much power. The performances were absolutely insane from everyone involved, especially Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce. Brody delivers like he always does, and despite the AI controversy, I would still like to see him take home the Oscar this year. He absolutely deserves it. Guy Pearce also kills it, and his fake charm and evil presence perfectly displays the point about the power and abuse that the rich have. The cinematography was so beautiful and contained so much detail and quality that I don’t even think I can describe. It has the perfect look for the film. The production design was immense, illustrious, and breathtaking, and the score was pounding, powerful, and just gorgeous. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as present as I thought it would be, but when it was, it was the sole thing you noticed from the scene. Overall, this film was masterfully made, and I’d recommend it to all historical drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!