It’s that time of the year again when I start watching more films from the previous year that have a shot at that golden prize in Hollywood: an Oscar. I’ve seen a good number of films already that have that potential, and there’s some that I still need to see that I haven’t yet due to the inability of seeing them as they haven’t been released yet in my area. I did, however, go out of my way recently to watch a three-and-a-half-hour film that has been getting major attention: The Brutalist. 

For those who are wondering, yes, you read that right. The Brutalist is a three-and-a-half-hour film and, no, it was not directed by Martin Scorsese. Unlike Scorsese’s films, this one has an intermission. Instead, it’s directed by Brady Corbert, who has made movies I have not seen but with which I am familiar. My lack of knowledge of the director’s previous work is a benefit for me as I went into it with a completely open mind. Other than the three-and-a-half-hour runtime, one big draw of The Brutalist was that it was filmed in VistaVision, which, for those who are unaware, is a widescreen variant of the 35 mm format that hasn’t been done since the 1960s. Not only did I find a showtime with that format, it was also shown in IMAX. My temptation grew from there. The only issue, though, was that it was playing almost an hour away on a work night. Fortunately, the showtime was two hours after my shift and I was able to get home at a decent time. With that said, was it worth the hour trek and the long runtime? As usual, let’s find out.

First set in 1947, The Brutalist follows László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian Jew and architect who is also a Holocaust survivor. Due to the war, he is forcibly separated from his wife and niece (who is now orphaned) and immigrates to the United States. From there, he meets up with his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) and his wife Audrey (Emma Laird) in Philadelphia. Attila is a furniture store owner and he provides László with a place to stay until he finds one of his own. One day a man named Harry Lee Van Buren (Joe Alwyn) arrives at the store and offers a commission to renovate a library in his father’s home as part of a surprise while he is away. Attila and László accept the job and start remodeling the library. Despite the project having a few bumps in the road, the progress goes well. Yet, Harry’s father Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) arrives home early and is dissatisfied with the work. The two men are then fired by Harry and are not paid for the renovation. Later, Attila ask László to leave his home as he not only blames him for the failed renovation, but also accuses László of making an advance on his wife. A few years later, László is now living in a charity home and makes a living in construction. One day, he is greeted by Harrison, not only apologizes to László for his behavior when they first met, but also to pay him for his renovation. Harrison informs László that the library was well received by his colleagues and he has fallen in love with it in time. He then invites László to a Christmas party where he is treated as the guest of honor. At the party, László shares his history with some of the guests and that he had worked as an architect in Eastern Europe. One of the guests that László interacts with is a Jewish lawyer by the name of Michael Hoffman (Peter Polycarpou), who works for Harrison and discusses a plan to expedite the immigration process for László’s wife and niece. During the party, Harrison gathers the guests, including László, to an open space on top of a hill where he proposes a community center in honor of his late mother and asks László to be the architect. He agrees to the project and he even stays at a guest house nearby while construction is taking place. After the intermission, the film picks up a few years later where László is finally reunited with his wife Erzsébet Tóth (Felicity Jones) and his niece Zsófia (Raffey Cassidy). His reunion with his wife is a bit anticlimactic as Erzsébet is now wheelchair bound due to developing Osteoporosis from the war but is still happy to be back together. From there, the Jewish immigrants try to adjust living in America while László finishes not only Harrison’s community center, but his legacy as well.

Sometimes whenever I criticize a film for having a long runtime, I feel like somewhat of a hypocrite. I say this because while I don’t like how certain films overstay their welcome, there are some where the length far exceeds my usual comfortable setting. Yet, I enjoy them to the point loving them, and The Brutalist fits that category. Granted, when I got done watching it, I knew that this film won’t be for everyone. I would bet that some readers of The Legionnaire probably might not like it, but allow me to explain why I enjoyed it from a cinematic point of view.

As stated before, I saw The Brutalist not just in IMAX, but also in VistaVision. While I’m not 100% knowledgeable with the format, I had an idea that it was a big deal because as soon as the film started, I knew I was going to enjoy it purely on a cinematic level. With the opening sequence of arriving in America to the triumph score blasting through the opening credits, this film had a very promising start. Thankfully, I was able to notice the high IMAX quality even though there were slow moments throughout the film. Aside from the cinematic elements, this movie gets a lot of things right when it comes to the direction of characters and their development in the three hour plus runtime. I’m not sure if I mentioned it before in other reviews, but I’m fan of when a movie shows, but does not tell, certain elements. For example, there are characters in The Brutalistthat you can tell suffer through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the movie never stops and explains it to you. Instead, it presents certain characters in situations where you know they are suffering and/or struggling with a condition because of their actions. This is a rare quality I wish more films would capitalize on, especially if they have a long runtime.

Even though I did enjoy The Brutalist quite a bit and would recommend it to other cinephiles, there are, however, some things in the film that might turn people away, especially certain readers of The Legionnaire. It’s not the runtime that I’m referring to, though I wouldn’t blame people if that’s their first red flag. However, one thing that might be a bit of concern is our main protagonist László himself. László, is not a perfect man. While I won’t say he’s a despicable person, he does act on certain vices that would send myself or you to Confession as soon as possible. Some of these sins include drug abuse and borderline cheating on his wife, though you can tell he does regret it. The way I saw it, László is a flawed character that (though not said in the film) is going through PTSD and the vices he encounters is a coping mechanism. It’s not until he reunites with his wife that he starts cleaning up his act and starts going back to the synagogue. Throughout, there are moments where he is separated from his wife again and starts relapsing. I guess what I’m saying is that The Brutalist reminded me that when we have someone close to us, whether it’s a significant other or a family member, they can bring out the best of us. Alternatively, when we surround ourselves with corrupt individuals, it brings out the worst in us. If anything, László represents those we have to pray for in our daily lives, like those dealing with addiction and/or trauma from a horrific experience like the Holocaust.

Could The Brutalist be shorter? Sure. Could it also be a bit more feel good? Also, sure. That being said, it is a unique film that I love, but I’m not eager to watch again due to the length and certain content in it. I’d put this in the same category as other well-made classics such as Schindler’s List (1993) and 12 Years a Slave (2013): quality, but disturbing movies that are hard to re-watch. That being said, hopefully some of you will get the chance to see it for yourselves, though stream it if you can, just in case you need multiple intermissions.