The Brutalist
2024 Movie Releases Ranked - #215
You might have to come back to me on this, but I am pretty sure I just watched one of the greatest films of all time. At least for me I am a sucker for directors creating paintings through the camera on the screen and after watching barry lyndon yesterday, heralded as the most beautiful film ever by many, I can't help that this film is up there if not number 1 for me in that area of analysis.
Adrien Brody is just stunning in this film and the surrounding cast does not get left behind, it felt like every character that came and went in the film was just done so amazingly well and purposeful. The way the film tackles the impact of European migration, economic difficulties, and the opioid crisis is just hauntingly seemless and stunning the whole 3 and a half hour runtime.
I had one flaw while watching this film and it was that I though the narrative dragged during the opening minutes post intermission, likely due to the masterpiece of a first 100 minutes, but the crazy part is, the epilogue of this film reveals a secret that makes that single part of the film so unbelievably crucial to the story, that the flaw was immediately erased from my head.
Its the type of film that reminds me why I want t write about film as my job and hobby for as long as I physically can, and I cannot imagine a world in which I choose a different film than this for my first independent film essay once I get the chance to see it again.
I was worried about the oscars this year with some of the nominations and winners early in the season being concerning and against the common opinion but if the brutalist maintains the traction that it has and continues on this path, I will feel completed in the idea that my favorite film of the year is also the film that will win the oscar
FOR NOW subject to Change: 100/100
My Lists that include the Brutalist:My 5 star filmsMy Top 25 Drama Films of all timePerfect Films that everyone must watch before they dieEvery Film I watched in January 2024 Ranked2024 Films RankedMy Top 25 Films of the 2020s