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The Brutalist
When an innovative modern architect flees post-war Europe, he is given the opportunity to rebuild his legacy. Set during the dawn of the modern United States (in Pennsylvania), his wife joins him, and their lives are forever changed by a demanding, wealthy patron.
2024 · Directed by Brady Corbet · 215 min · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 16 frames
Tagline
Welcome to America.
Plot
Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor and Bauhaus-trained architect László Tóth immigrates to the United States after being forcibly separated from his wife, Erzsébet, and orphaned niece, Zsófia. As his ship enters New York Harbor, he sees the Statue of Liberty.
In 1947, László travels to Philadelphia and stays with his cousin, Attila. He discovers that Attila has assimilated, anglicizing his name and converting to Catholicism. Attila reveals to a relieved László that Erzsébet and Zsófia are still alive but stuck in Europe. He offers László work with his furniture business, and the two are soon approached by Harry Lee Van Buren, who wishes to surprise his father, wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren, with a renovated library at his mansion near Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Following a drunken night of merriment where Attila and his wife Audrey both encourage László to dance with her, Audrey expresses her disdain for László and suggests he live elsewhere. Back at the mansion, Harrison is enraged by the surprise renovation and fires the men; Harry refuses to pay them. Attila blames László for the failed project, falsely accuses him of having made a pass at Audrey, and demands that he leave their home.
Three years later, László, now a heroin addict, works as a laborer loading coal and lives in charity housing with his friend Gordon, an African-American single father. Harrison turns up to tell him the architectural community has lauded his modern library renovation, and that he has discovered László's past as an accomplished architect in Europe. He pays the money owed and invites László to a party, where he commissions a grand project in tribute to his late mother: The Van Buren Institute, a community center comprising a library, theater, gymnasium, and chapel. Work begins immediately with László living on site and employing Gordon. Harrison introduces László to his personal lawyer, who expedites the immigration of László's wife and niece.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Written by: Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
- Cinematography: Lol Crawley
- Edited by: Dávid Jancsó
- Music: Daniel Blumberg
- Production design: Judy Becker
- Produced by: Nick Gordon, D.J. Gugenheim, Andrew Lauren, Trevor Matthews
Cast
- Adrien Brody as László Tóth
- Felicity Jones as Erzsébet Tóth
- Guy Pearce as Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr
- Joe Alwyn as Harry Lee
- Raffey Cassidy as Zsófia
- Stacy Martin as Maggie Lee
- Isaach de Bankolé as Gordon
- Alessandro Nivola as Attila
- Ariane Labed as Older Zsófia
- Michael Epp as Jim Simpson
Production
- Country: United Kingdom, United States of America
- Language: Russian, Hebrew, Hungarian, Yiddish, Italian, English
- Studios: Brookstreet Pictures, Kaplan Morrison, Intake Films, Andrew Lauren Productions
- Budget: $9,600,000
- Box office: $50,145,227
- Themes: new york city, immigrant, husband wife relationship, philadelphia, pennsylvania, venice, italy, capitalism, pennsylvania, usa, drug addiction, architect, american dream
More by Brady Corbet
On this film
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