The Brutalist

I started this movie with the intention of falling asleep after 30 minutes and finishing the rest tomorrow. However, seeing the shot of lady liberty kept me wide awake for the next 3 hours and 35 minutes. A genuine gargantuan moment in cinema. I’m furious at myself for putting this off for as long as I have. Adrien Brody is completely allowed to talk at the Oscar’s for however long he wants because he may have conducted one of the greatest performances ever. The same goes for Guy Pearce obviously. I really cannot decide what I like more between this, dune, and Anora but I’m extremely shocked that the academy didn’t give this Best Picture. The first half is almost uplifting in a way. Sure, the tension is there but Brody goes from homeless to powerful within the span of minutes and he’s so good at showing that through his mannerisms. There’s obvious superiority coming from him even in the first half when he knows that he has the trust of the wealthy even if they solely tolerate him like the son said. I, along with most other people enjoyed the first half more than the second but that shouldn’t discredit how impressive and bold the decision making is for everything post train explosion. The ending reminds me of Killers of the Flower Moon with the fast forward summary which does recontextualize the entire movie in a way that’ll make you want to immediately rewatch the 215 minute powerhouse of a film. Bravo.